THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 6 2017 Like us on Facebook facebook.com/thellanelliherald


71 Sports ‘It’s a massive game’ Scarlets earn eighth home win in a row


Gareth Davies: ‘We need to pick up every point possible’


Guinness Pro12 Scarlets


Cardiff Blues


15 10


THE SCARLETS have now


won their last eight home games in all competitions following a gritty performance against the Cardiff Blues on Sunday (Jan 1). The first game of the New Year is


always an important one, with teams looking to set their goals on the right track and banish the demons of the previous year. The Scarlets had already defeated the Blues this season with an impressive bonus point victory at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, but with the internationals back on duty, it was always going to be a much more physical encounter. The first half's only try came


SCARLETS scrum half Gareth


Davies says that the Scarlets are facing one of the biggest games of the season ahead of the Guinness PRO12 clash against Ulster Rugby at Parc y Scarlets this Friday night (Jan 6). The Scarlets welcome Ulster to


Parc y Scarlets on Friday, with kick off at 7.35pm, for their third game in 11 days following tough physical derby encounters against Ospreys and Cardiff Blues. The post-Christmas derbies


followed back-to-back encounters against former European champions Toulon in the European Rugby Champions Cup, with Friday’s clash offering no let-up in intensity during a congested period of the season. Speaking ahead of the PRO12


clash, Davies said: “It’s a busy time of year for us. We don’t get much time off during this time of year. We’ll have played three games in 11 days and


there are a lot of sore bodies in the camp. Hopefully we can freshen up and get ready for Friday. “This Friday is a massive game for


us - top six is really close; these games are massive for us. We need to pick up every point possible. It’s a challenge that we’re looking forward to.” Whilst the Scarlets secured a


victory over Cardiff Blues in round 12, Ulster were defeated by Leinster and will be keen to turn their fortunes around to keep in touch with the top four.


Davies went on to say: “Ulster lost


last week against Leinster; they’ll be wanting to put things right this week. They’ll have a few boys back in as well. It’ll be a tough game for us. “There’s only a couple of points


separating the top six. These games are massive for us. I think bonus points will be crucial at the end of the day. We have to play as well as we can and hopefully come away with the points.”


Girls’ rugby sessions start this year


through some quick thinking on the Scarlets' behalf, with Rhys Patchell countering from deep to set up a ruck inside Blues' territory. A quick ruck set loose Steff Evans out wide who showed some dazzling feet and pace to finish the move off with a try. Patchell and Shingler exchanged a penalty each before the interval, meaning the Scarlets would begin the second half with a five point advantage. It was the hosts that struck first


this time too, with Steff Evans again masterminding the counter attack, showing incredible balance and pace to thread his way between the defence. Jonathan Davies would receive the ball before feeding his fellow centre, Scott Williams, for the simplest of finishes. The Blues never gave up,


however, and were in the game until the very end, but it was the Scarlets who ultimately came out on top and would continue their unbeaten at home run into next week's fixture against Ulster! Scarlets kicked off the New Year


on a bitterly cold afternoon in front of a 10,000 strong crowd. The home side went ahead early


on after an aerial battle which was ended when Patchell stepped away from Cuthbert's flying tackle and made a break through the middle.


After being dragged down, the ball was recycled in a flash to Steff Evans who weaved a path through the defence to score the opening try. Patchell's conversion was wide but it was a positive start for the hosts after just 12 minutes. Scarlets then suffered a blow


in the front row as Samson Lee was forced from the field with an injury with just 16 minutes on the clock; Werner Kruger, the former Springbok, took his place at tighthead. They continued to put the


pressure on and their good work was rewarded when referee Nigel Owens awarded them a penalty as the Blues were penalised for coming in from the side. Patchell sent the kick straight through the posts for an 8-0 score line. The Blues came back in to the


game shortly after when the home side were guilty of an infringement and Shingler sent a penalty through the posts. It remained 8-3 to the Scarlets at


half time but they came out strongly at the start of the second half. Some good play saw Steff Evans


throwing a dummy to beat the Blues defenders before offloading to Jonathan Davies, who passed the ball


on to Scott Williams, who surged forward to score the Scarlets’ second try. Patchell then added the extra two points for a score of 15-3. Despite the difference, the Blues


were still in the game and they scored their first try of the game 10 minutes in to the second half as Willis Halaholo found space down the wing to cross over. Shingler added the extra two points to cut the lead to just five points. The Blues piled on the pressure


looking for a score that would have seen them take the lead. However, the Scarlets forced


a penalty at the scrum to ease the pressure but Aled Thomas, who had taken over kicking duties after Patchell had gone off injured, sent the kick just wide of the posts. The 10,000 strong crowd were


playing their part in trying to lift the Scarlets and they began to overpower their opponents and with the clock ticking into overtime a knock on from the Blues signalled an end to the game and another impressive home win for the Scarlets. It wasn't the most fluid of games,


but it was a victory nonetheless and an important one in the context of the GUINNESS PRO12 and the rest of the season.


Beaten: The Scarlets come out on top (Pic. Oscar James)


RUGBY coaches at Coleg Sir


Gâr are running an all-girls rugby training programme for six to 12 year-olds this month at its new 3G pitch.


Last year the college hosted its


first ever rugby tournament at the college’s new facility for year nine girls, which was officiated by sports degree students in preparation for a series of sports festivals due to take place at the college which will support community clubs and offer young


people the opportunity to improve their skills and enjoy sport. Sam Collins, Coleg Sir Gâr sports


staff, said: “We were delighted to welcome girls from Llanelli schools and with several teams taking part, we saw some outstanding tries and some superb attacking play.” The girls-only sessions run on Monday evenings from 5pm to 6pm. Contact inspirehub@colegsirgar.


ac.uk or follow CSGCommunityHUB on Facebook to find out more.


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