Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said he was proud of the resilience his players showed as they fought back from a nightmare start to claim a crucial 38-22 bonus point victory in the big West Wales derby clash with the Ospreys.
Peel’s team conceded a try inside 50 seconds and found themselves 17-0 down after 15 minutes in front of a crowd of 11,384 – the biggest for a URC game in Wales so far this season.
But they responded with a six try blitz to secure the spoils, three of those coming when the Ospreys were down in numbers after having two players yellow carded in quick succession.
The Player of the Match award went to Scarlets back-row forward Vaea Fifita on his 50th appearances, with Wales full-back Blair Murray among the men to touch down.
It’s a win that nudges the Scarlets above their west Wales rivals in the table and keeps alive their hopes of making the play-offs.
Reflecting on a fluctuating contest, Peel said: “I don’t think we looked like a rugby team for the first 15 minutes.
“Ropey is probably an understatement. I don’t know whether it was the big occasion, but there was error after error.
“I am proud of the resilience we showed. For the last 60 minutes, we were a good side.
“When they had a few cards, we made them pay and that’s what the game is about. We managed that period well and were clinical when we needed to be.”
Commenting on his team’s play-off prospects, Peel said: “There is a lot of work to do. We have got four games left, we probably need to win two of them, if not three.
“Sides are going to take points off each other. What we can do is work on the next couple of matches and see where we are going into the last two rounds.
“We have got the Dragons at the Principality Stadium and then Leinster coming here which will be a huge occasion. So that’s two big games coming ahead.”
As for the occasion, Peel added: “It was a fantastic day, the crowd, Dafydd Iwan, the win. It shows what rugby means to people here.”
The two teams will meet again next Sunday in the last 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup in Swansea.
Peel added: “We have got to do it all again. It’s a big challenge for us next week to go away and repeat.
“I am sure the Ospreys players will be hurting after that and I’m sure it’s going to be a good game.
“We haven’t won in Swansea for a long time, so we need to go after that.”