For an hour the Scarlets struggled to find their best form but a moment of inspiration from Jonathan Davies set them on their way to a 21-16 win over Newport Gwent Dragons in the second game of Judgement Day. Defeats for the Ospreys and Ulster earlier in the day meant the Scarlets could take a giant step towards a semi-final spot provided they saw off the Dragons at Principality Stadium. But against a team who had never before won on Judgement Day, they were outplayed in the first 40 minutes, trailing 6-3 at the break. They got back to 6-6 but it was only after a Davies break on the hour, leading to a sin-bin for Adam Hughes, that they really took control. Davies got the first try two minutes later and Liam Williams, who had also taken over the kicking duties, followed suit to finally put the Dragons to bed, although Hughes did cross with the final play for a deserved losing bonus point. The win pushes the Scarlets up third in the Guinness PRO12 table, and with the two teams behind them, Ospreys and Ulster, meeting in a fortnight, a win at Connacht next time out will likely see them into the play-offs. In front of 60,642 fans and for referee’s Nigel Owens’ 150th Guinness PRO12 game, the first half was relatively scrappy, with neither side able to create many clear-cut chances. It took until the final quarter for that to change, but the Scarlets will not mind as they secured the all-important four points. While Wayne Pivac’s side had the better of the opening exchanges they could not turn that into points, and instead it was Angus O’Brien who thrived on his 50th appearance for the Dragons. Two penalties from virtually the same spot in the space of two minutes gave the Dragons a 6-0 lead, and it was deserved with the Scarlets choosing to kick ball away rather than counter-attack. The Scarlets did respond with a penalty of their own on 26 minutes, Dan Jones slotting the three points after Rhys Buckley was penalized for a no arms tackle. But it was the Dragons who finished the half the stronger, and they will have been frustrated at their inability to convert their chances when a rolling maul was stopped over the line before another attempt ended with a knock-on. Trailing by three the Scarlets made a better start to the second half and they levelled things up on 50 minutes with a Jones penalty. However the Scarlets were not firing, one penalty kicked dead by Liam Williams soon after indicative of their struggles. They needed a spark and they got one with a brilliant break by Davies who found Steff Evans in support. He was tackled by Hughes but the Dragons winger failed to release in the tackle and was sin-binned as a result. The Scarlets sensed it was their moment to strike and they did just that. First Scott Williams was stopped just short but the Dragons were caught offside and the Scarlets took the penalty quickly to put Davies over. Liam Williams had surprisingly taken over kicking duties, and converted from out wide with the help of the post. The Dragons weren’t about to fold however, hitting straight back with a third O’Brien penalty to trail by four with 15 minutes remaining. However Liam Williams proved his equal with a penalty from 35 metres out, after a breakdown infringement, to push the lead back to seven. And he followed that up with a try of his own, finishing on the right after being put into space to wrap up the victory. They still had time to chase an improbable bonus point, with DTH Van der Merwe looking set to run in try number three when he broke through but Hughes produced a brilliant tackle to stop him. And it was Hughes who had the final say finishing off a fantastic counter from the Dragons as they at least got one try for their efforts. The Guinness PRO12 Final takes place on May 27 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Fans can guarantee their place by booking their tickets via www.ticketmaster.ie Further information: www.pro12rugby.com/final
