Rhys Patchell put the miles in – and the smiles on Scarlets faces – as his comeback from injury helped energise the region’s Pro 12 play-off hopes with a 26-10 victory over Edinburgh.
Patchell had not played for three months because of an ankle injury, but the fly-half finished the night with two tries and 16 points in a dominant display.
By the time the former Cardiff Blues player left the field after 50 minutes, the Scarlets had long since earned their bonus point and Edinburgh had been given the runaround.
Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said: “I am very happy for Rhys, because he has been out for a long time. He makes a big difference to our team.
“He ran four kilometres tonight, which is pretty good going. That would have meant he would have been on course for six or seven if you extend it over a whole match.
“But he was running out of steam after 50 minutes. He will get stronger now with every game.
“We talked about scoring first, but at times we over played things. But we are very happy to have got the five points.
“We haven’t scored four tries in the first half before. All the numbers – territory, possession – were in our favour.”
Edinburgh’s losing streak was stretched to six matches as the Scarlets gained revenge for defeat at Murrayfield earlier in the season.
Patchell ripped through the Edinburgh defence from halfway to score the opening try after only three minutes.
The Scarlets improved that with a try from a driving line-out from Wyn Jones, before some sharp handling sent over both James Davies and Patchell again. With little more than 30 minutes gone, the Scarlets had earned their bonus point.
Phil Burleigh’s lone effort for the Scots was a fair reflection of a match dominated by the Scarlets, who claimed the extra point before half-time and then put their feet up.
A disappointed Hodge said: “We were not very good in the first-half – and not much better in the second.
“It was across the board – set piece, defence, it’s just really disappointing.
“To concede the first try in the opening few minutes through a simple defensive error dents the confidence. It rattled us and we lost our composure and thought process – everything we had talked about.
“We stopped conceding in the second-half, but it was still very scrappy. We lost our shape and our decision-making was poor.”
A pointless second-half from both sides was only a moderate Edinburgh improvement on a first period during which the Scarlets scored with ease.
From the opening scrum, Patchell worked a straightforward loop around his centres and as the visitors’ defence opened invitingly the Scarlets outside-half was able to stroll all the way to the line from near halfway without a hand laid upon him.
Patchell must have anticipated Edinburgh would at least test his confidence and appetite. But Ross Ford’s men seemed content to afford enough space for the Scarlets’ playmaker to ease himself back into form.
Even though Duncan Weir pulled back three points from a penalty for offside after eight minutes, it proved a rare moment of assertiveness from Edinburgh.
Patchell almost put wing Steff Evans in at the corner with a delicate chip, before constant home pressure was rewarded with a second try midway through the half.
Edinburgh had looked secure enough on their own line-out ball, but when the Scarlets threw in from 25 metres out there was little resistance to a controlled drive that ended with prop Wyn Jones claiming the score.
Patchell’s conversion left Edinburgh trailing 12-3 and already the Scarlets slick and powerful back line could sense an early bonus point.
With Edinburgh pinned back deep inside their own half and struggling to make effective first-up tackles, the red tide continued.
Flanker Davies claimed a third try on 26 minutes when he arrived from deep to finish off a classy back line move that carved Edinburgh open.
It seemed only home errors could hand Edinburgh a way back into the game. The lifeline was given when Ford charged down Aled Davies’s clearing kick and prop Allan Dell fed centre Burleigh, who had a clear run to the posts.
Weir’s conversion made it 19-10, but any thoughts of a comeback before the break were dispelled when Edinburgh conceded a fourth try – and a bonus point – with just over half an hour gone.
Hodge must have been dismayed to see the ease with which Jonathan Davies ripped the ball out of Edinburgh hands at a maul. Just as poor was the scrambling defence after the turnover as a long, floated pass by Parkes sent Patchell over.
The same player converted his own try and two more for a 16-point tally.
It might have been worse for Edinburgh had the Scarlets been inclined to try and improve their point difference, but a raft of substitutions by both sides did little to improve the flow of the game in the last quarter.
Scorers:
Scarlets: Tries: Patchell (2), Wyn Jones, James Davies. Cons: Patchell (3).
Edinburgh: Try: Burleigh. Con: Weir. Pen: Weir.
Scarlets: J McNicholl; L Williams (DTH van der Merwe 58), J Davies, H Parkes (c), S Evans, R Patchell (D Jones 50), A Davies (G Davies 47); W Jones (R Evans 72), R Elias (E Phillips 58), S Lee (W Kruger 62), T Price, T Beirne, A Shingler, J Davies (L Rawlins 72), W Boyde.
Reps: J Barclay.
Edinburgh: B Kinghorn; D Hoyland, C Dean, P Burleigh, T Brown, D Weir, S Hidalgo-Clyne (N Fowles 60); A Dell (M McCallum 55), R Ford (c; S McInally 55), S Berghan (K Bryce 72), A Bresler (G Gilchrist 55), B Toolis, V Mata, J Ritchie (V Fihaki 39), C Du Preez.
Reps: J Tovey, G Bryce.
