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'We didn't get a sniff' - Beirne pinpoints area of the game Scarlets simply couldn't compete in
By Ian Cameron
Defeated Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said he knew Leinster were going to be a lot better team than the one they hammered 12 months previously, and that they were 'very, very good'.
Leinster ran out comfortable winners at the Aviva Stadium, booking their place in the competition's Bilbao final next month.
Speaking in the wake of his side comprehensive 38 - 16 defeat to Leinster, coach Pivac said the result was a mixture of Leinster playing excellently and the Scarlets playing poorly, but that the Irish province were the deserved winners.
"They were very, very good," said Pivac. "When they got in 22 they were very hard to stop."
"They probably deserved to go through to the final," although he pointed out that it "Certainly wasn't for a want of trying" on his side's part.
"While this is the end of Europe for this year, we are now focused on the Guinness Pro14, and we could be back here in a few weeks to have another crack at a very good Leinster team."
Captain Ken Owens suggested the directness of Leinster was the key difference in the sides.
"They were good. They are one of the best teams around at executing a game plan. They executed their game plan and dominated the game. They were more direct (than last year), they were a little bit more direct."
Scarlets secondrow Tadhg Beirne pointed out that his former team's performance around the ruck in particular was 'exceptional'.
"They kept the ball pretty well, they're pretty exceptional around the ruck. They didn't give us a sniff," noted Beirne, who will be playing his rugby with Munster next season. "They held onto the ball well. We made silly mistakes."
Beirne was also asked to rate Leinster's James Ryan.
"We actually played together for Lansdowne. He's been scouted since he was about 15. As everyone in this country knows, he's a bit of a prodigy."
The lock who can boast the most turnovers in this year's competition was also asked about his opinion on Munster's semi-final clash with Bordeaux tomorrow, to which he replied. "I don't really care."
Watch Joe Marler speak to Harlequins horror season on The Rugby Pod:
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Even with absences we still had the cattle to make the playoffs. As it was, we nearly stumbled our way into the top 8. Which shows just how easy it was to get there. And still we failed. As for Razor, there are many instances of him patching up the Crusaders roster. Numerous. Several players I'd never heard of. Also, using AB legend John Afoa was a classic.
But, some of the games we were losing were from schoolboy errors, or downright confusion. Either the players were really dumb (they weren’t) or they were poorly coached. Given the repetitive nature of errors, brain fades, poor decision making, & loose structures, this all lands with the coaching group.
With only six playoff spots now in SR, & Aussie franchises now consolidated to four, 2025 looks like a tight one. I'm picking we'll have to tough it out under Penney & hope for the best.
Go to commentsAgree we need a 10, 12, 13 refresh. ASAP. Well, next season now lol. Reiko should be put back on the wing. He'll be an absolute menace there. Imagine 11 Reiko 14 Clarke 15 Jordan as the backfield unit.
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