Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel admitted Leinster’s international quality shone through in Saturday’s 54-5 defeat at the RDS.
Despite a battling performance, a young Scarlets side conceded eight tries to a dominant Leinster who welcomed back a host of their World Cup stars.
After the game Peel said: “It was a tough lesson, they were obviously stacked and I thought the quality they had in their group told in the end.
“We battled hard for the first 50-60 minutes, they started like a train like they always do here, they came out quickly and then we got back into the game. We had a few opportunities in their 22 at the end of the first half which we didn’t convert, but in the physical contest of the game they came out on top.
“They are big men and they won those battles. They managed to win the gainline and a couple of times they bossed the breakdown, turned over the ball and our transition defence was caught lacking.
“I thought (Hugo) Keenan on the edge was world class, probably the best 15 in the world at the moment and people like that will hurt you.
“There are lessons to be learned for our boys. We made some changes, gave boys some opportunities. We have players at home and players injured so it is good for these boys to experience this.
“I thought Carwyn Tuipulotu was excellent, he carried hard, offered himself a lot, he is working hard and is getting better every week, that is important.
“We also need to understand we need to close the gap, the gap is too much at the minute. We keep saying we will get better but it is going to take time and patience.”