Scarlets' title dream washed out

Mar 30 2008 by Simon Roberts, Wales On Sunday

Scarlets 10-24 Leinster

THE SCARLETS’ bid to keep the Magners League title in Wales were blown out of the water by Leinster at a rain-soaked Stradey Park.

Wales’ best hope of being crowned Kings of Celtic rugby saw their hopes of some silverware this season sunk without hope by the Dubliners.

The Irish province, who played the conditions almost to perfection, were just too strong and streetwise for a Scarlets side which never really got any kind of foothold in the game.

Scarlets supremo Phil Davies saw his players come second best in nearly every facet of the game and his pack were taught a lesson in how to play wet-weather rugby.

Opposite number Michael Cheika had done his homework on the Scarlets and he exposed the home side’s lightweight pack, using his own to bully their way to a vital victory and probably the Magners title.

All three of Leinster’s tries were scored by forwards – Ollie Le Roux, Stan Wright and Malcolm O’Kelly – from short range. The home side even suffered the indignity of conceding a try when Leinster were down to 14 men.

The Scarlets needed to stretch their unbeaten five-match run at home to stand any real chance of staying in the hunt for silverware but they were up against a Leinster side enjoying an eight-match winning streak.

This league clash couldn’t have been more different to the Scarlets’ 52-23 victory over Leinster in Dublin in October – still the Irish side’s only loss to a Welsh region this season.

Davies has endured a tough second season at Stradey, with his side’s failure in this season’s Heineken Cup being held up as a complete disaster.

He would be the first to admit there have been some signings which haven’t worked, but he will have learned much more about his squad this season.

While the Scarlets will always be judged by their success, or failure, in Europe, this hasn’t been as poor a season as some have painted.

Better sides than this Scarlets one would have struggled against Munster, London Wasps and Clermont in the ultimate Heineken Cup “pool of death”.

To his credit, Davies has stuck to his principles during a difficult campaign and the Scarlets, when they click, are still one of the great attacking sides in Europe.

A disappointing campaign doesn’t change that.

But the loss of scrum-half Dwayne Peel to Sale and the expected exit of No 8 Alix Popham to Brive in France is a major blow to his long-term planning for the Scarlets.

They have announced the recruitment of scrum-half Sililo Martens from Sale and centre Rob Higgitt from Bristol, but they desperately need to bolster their pack with a proven tighthead and a big bruiser at second row is a must.

The opening exchanges proved exactly that when the Scarlets tried to build play deep inside their own 22, but failed to make any headway because they didn’t have any heavy ball-carriers to make the hard yards.

Peel was forced to use the boot to clear his side’s lines.

Leinster, a side that normally likes to play an expansive style of rugby, had clearly done their homework on the Scarlets and had decided to target the home side’s lightweight pack and it didn’t take long before they were rewarded.

Giant Springbok prop Le Roux rolled over for the game’s first try after the Dubliners just ground themselves, inch by inch, to the line. It wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty effective.

Just before half-time, Leinster’s magic formula worked again when their other prop Wright barged his way over from short-range after a determined assault on the Scarlets’ line.

Stephen Jones and Felipe Contepomi had also swapped penalties but the 17-3 scoreline at half-time didn’t even begin to tell the story of Leinster’s dominance or complete stranglehold of the contest.

Dafydd Jones and O’Kelly crossed for tries in the second half but it was really one-way traffic for most of the game and the Magners League title looks like it will find a home in Dublin.