Leinster 15 Scarlets 10:IT WAS hardly rugby to feed the soul, but Leinster won't mind all that much after coming away from Llanelli on Saturday night with a much-needed Pro 12 victory.
After the match Joe Schmidt revealed that the ankle injury Kevin McLaughlin suffered against Glasgow last week is more serious than first thought while Dominic Ryan is also likely to be sidelined for a considerable time.
In the end the difference between the teams was Isa Nacewa’s steadiness with the boot. He kicked five penalties whereas Scarlets outhalf Dan Newton sent a couple of very poor ones astray.
More importantly, Nacewa’s kicks all came at very important times, particularly in the second half when he slotted two in quick succession after Scarlets had briefly taken the lead when winger Lee Williams scorched over for a nicely constructed try.
LEINSTER: I Nacewa; F Carr, E O’Malley, L Fitzgerald, D Kearney; I Madigan, C Willis; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, N White; D Browne, D Toner; R Ruddock, J Murphy, L Auva’a. Replacement: J Hagan for N White (h-t).
SCARLETS: D Ford; L Williams, N Reynolds, G Maule, A Fenby; D Newton, R Tipuna; I Thomas, E Phillips, R Thomas; A Shingler, D Day; R McCusker, J Edwards, B Morgan. Replacements: D Welch for D Day (29 mins), L Williams for D Ford, G Davies for R Tipuna (both 52 mins), P John for I Thomas (62 mins), R Jones for R Thomas (66 mins), R Pugh for J Edwards (72 mins), A Thomas for D Newton (74 mins).
Referee: J Lacey (IRFU).
