Head coach Brad Mooar praised the character of his Scarlets side after they claimed a hard-earned 17-13 triumph over Toyota Cheetahs at a rain-soaked Parc y Scarlets – their fourth Guinness PRO14 victory of the season.
Incessant downpours meant the clash between two free-running teams was never going to be a classic, but the Scarlets were able to dig deep for another crucial victory to add to their Conference B tally.
“I am proud of the boys,” said Mooar.
“Conditions were really tough. I am just really proud of the way we stuck together and ground out a win.
“At the back end of the season when you are looking back on the points table, these games are hugely important. We showed great character to finish things off.
“Everybody put in, including the boys who didn’t take the field and helped set the week up. I am really proud of the whole squad.”
Flanker Josh Macleod was at the heart of the Scarlets’ effort, picking up a second man-of-the-match award of the campaign to add to his medal on the opening weekend against Connacht.
“Josh was outstanding, he has been an outstanding player in the first five weeks,” added Mooar. “He is so physical and attacks everything he does at 100 per cent.
“I thought all the forwards put in an outstanding effort. Ioan Cunningham has been doing some great work with the forwards and that driving game really set us up for the first try for Steff (Evans). Hats off to Ioan who has been working really hard to build a group who can perform like that in tough conditions.”
The victory keeps the Scarlets in touch with Conference B pacesetters Munster and Connacht, who also claimed wins on Welsh soil over the weekend.
“We would have taken four from five at the start of the year,” admitted Mooar.
“We needed to respond after last week (loss to Edinburgh), which was not us. We worked out how we can help each other out and put on a better performance to take some points.
“It was great to see the boys fight right through to the end.”