By Paul Jones
Glenn Delaney has told his Scarlets team that conceding 50 points at home is “dreadful” and there has to be an immediate response.
The New Zealander is facing up to his first crisis in his time in charge at the region after a third successive defeat was inflicted by Leinster who walloped the Welsh region, 52-25.
Admittedly, the Scarlets were without 12 of their 1st XV but Leinster arrived without 17 Irish squad members and still put half a century of points on the home side.
Asked how he felt to be on the receiving end of such a thrashing, Delaney admitted: “It is dreadful.
“We haven’t conceded that many points this season, we came off a pretty good defensive record and that was ripped apart.
“The score at one stage was 17-13 and it looked like it was going to open up a bit more for us, but we gave away penalties, kicked the ball out on the full and invited them into our territory and that gave them the opportunity to score, they are class outfit when they get close to the try line.
“How they got those opportunities is what we need to look at. We certainly put a lot of pressure on ourselves in that first half.
🏉23′ Scarlets 10-14 Leinster
Ail gais i Leinster! Hyrddiad o’r llinell ac James Tracy sy’n croesi.
📍 Parc y Scarlets
🏆 @PRO14Official
📺 @S4Cchwaraeon @S4C
💻 https://t.co/4mwy6PGtQC pic.twitter.com/OTZkQTfKrA— Clwb Rygbi (@yclwbrygbi) January 30, 2021
“We corrected that in the second half, but the damage was done. The reality is, to concede 50 points at home is not good enough.”
The defeat – which followed back-to-back losses against Cardiff Blues – means the Scarlets have lost momentum and are in danger of missing out on qualification for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup.
Delaney added: “It is going to be an interesting shake-up. Everyone is going to be scrapping for points and we will make sure we are going to be one of them and in the hunt and the key for us is the next three weeks are really productive and we are going to be ready to face Benetton here in three weeks’ time.”
Welsh fans will be hoping for a much different scoreline when the majority of the best players from these two teams clash in the opening round of the Six Nations in Cardiff.
Guinness Pro 14 champions may have been missing so many familiar faces, but they did have Ireland and British & Irish Lions tight head prop Tadhg Furlong in their front row.
All eyes were on him as he played his first competitive game in almost a year and he gave the Irish selectors a big boost by successfully negotiating 40 minutes. With a bonus-point wrapped up before the break, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen was able to replace hm for the second half and send him back to the Irish camp with a five star rating.
It was Furlong’s first game since packing down against England in last year’s Six Nations on 23 February. Since then he has been dogged by calf and hamstring injuries. Now he can start preparing for a return trip to Wales for next weekend’s clash with Wales in Cardiff.
🏉19′ Scarlets 10-7 Leinster
Y Scarlets yn taro nôl yn syth!
Bylchiad gwych gan Uzair Cassiem ac y menwr Dane Blacker sy’n croesi’r llinell gais. Costelow gyda’r trosiad.
📍 Parc y Scarlets
🏆 @PRO14Official
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💻 https://t.co/4mwy6PGtQC pic.twitter.com/cC4rTjG1Eg— Clwb Rygbi (@yclwbrygbi) January 30, 2021
It turned into a pretty routine victory for the reigning champions in the end as they worked their way back to the top of Conference A to stay on course for another final appearance.
The Scarlets kicked poorly, gave away too many penalties and were eventually overpowered after a spirited first quarter.
Two of the four first half tries came from driving line-outs from 15 metres out, the second being awarded as penalty try, and there was another from the base of a five metre scrum and the bonus point score came on the narrow side of another close range line out.
To their credit, the Scarlets hit back straight away after Dan Leavy bagged the first try from a close range scrum.
A great, flat midfield pass from Costello put No 8 Uzair Cassiem into a hole and he ran from half-way to the 22 before sending scrum half Dane Blacker racing to the line.
Costello’s conversion made it 10-7 to the home side, but the only other points they could muster in the first half was a second penalty. Leinster added three more tries, two of which Harry Byrne improved and the outside half also kicked a penalty.
🏉67′ Scarlets 18-45 Leinster
Y cefnwr Max O’Reilly sy’n hollti amddiffyn y Scarlets i sgorio cais unigol gwych. Y trosiad gan Byrne.
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💻 https://t.co/4mwy6PGtQC pic.twitter.com/DXGW3ygod0— Clwb Rygbi (@yclwbrygbi) January 30, 2021
The Scarlets lost Cassiem to a yellow card after the penalty try for joining the driving maul from the side and Cian Kelleher’s try on the stroke of half-time came while the home side were down to 14 men.
Skipper Luke McGrath, full back Max O’Reilly and replacement centre David Hawkshaw ran in three more tries after the break, all of which Byrne converted, to take them through the half-century mark.
The Scarlets’ blushes were saved by two long-range, late tries. Tyler Morgan made the break for the first before send in replacement scrum half Will Homer.
Then Angus O’Brien skipped through the Leinster line and sped to the posts for a try he also converted.
