Wales flanker Dafydd Jones’s second half try briefly halted the impressive champions-in-waiting who killed off Phil Davies’s men with ruthless efficiency thanks to tries from forwards Ollie Le Roux, Stan Wright and Malcolm O’Kelly.
It was billed as a top-of-the-table showdown in West Wales but Leinster burst the Scarlets bubble with consummate ease to extend their lead to 11 points above nearest challengers Munster.
This crushing defeat leaves the Scarlets sinking 14 points off the pace in the title race in fourth position and caps off a dismal season following their Heineken Cup pool whitewash.
British Lions and Wales star Dwayne Peel had insisted he wanted to end his ten-year association with the Scarlets with a bang by lifting his second league crown in five seasons. And the Sale Sharks-bound scrum half had an extra incentive to put on a show as he led out the Scarlets in front of a 7,407 crowd at a rain-soaked and wind-swept Stradey Park.
Grand Slam hero Mike Phillips’s knee ligament injury left the door open for Peel to stake a claim to reclaim the number nine jersey for Wales’s summer tour to South Africa. But Peel’s 150th appearance for the Welsh region will be one he will want to forget as his Scarlets teammates were thoroughly out-played, out-thought and out-muscled.
Leinster began strongly with the wind at their backs and pinned the Scarlets deep in their 22 for large periods of a dominant opening. The hosts looked nervy and their tension was epitomised on seven minutes by fullback Morgan Stoddart who failed to read the swirling overhead conditions before fumbling under the high ball.
And the visitors’ relentless pressure eventually told under the moody skies when South African Le Roux scrambled over for the first try on 13 minutes after a series of close forward drives.
Felipe Contepomi added the extras for a healthy 7-0 lead before a Stephen Jones penalty reduced the deficit four minutes later following a rare spell of home possession. Argentinean goal-machine Contepomi displayed cool composure to put the leaders back into the driving seat with his second penalty on 25 minutes before Rob Kearney’s attempted 40-metre drop goal flew wide.
The Scarlets’ pack struggled to compete but somehow the home side remained in the match. And they even had the chance to cut the lead back to four points but Jones dragged a 35th minute penalty wide.
But Leinster hit back like true champions and made Jones’s miss prove costly three minutes into first-half injury time when prop Wright burrowed over and Contepomi’s second conversion handed the visitors a deserved 17-3 interval lead.
The Scarlets threw on Wales hooker Matthew Rees in a bid to inject some direction and it seemed to work as they produced their best spell of the match. Leinster scrum half Chris Whitaker was yellow carded for a professional foul on 51 minutes and the hosts were rewarded for their endeavour two minutes later with Jones’s try on 53 minutes.
Stephen Jones’s conversion clipped the crossbar and luckily went over as the crowd started to believe an incredible comeback was on.
But any hopes of a home fightback were shortlived three minutes later when Leinster lock O’Kelly powered over to seal an emphatic win and extend Leinster’s unbeaten run to nine matches.
Llanelli Scarlets: M Stoddart (C Thomas 63); D James, R King, G Evans (M Watkins 54), M Jones, S Jones, D Peel (capt); P John, M Schwalger (M Rees 40), B Douglas (B Broster 70), L Reed, S MacLeod, D Jones, A Popham (N Thomas 46), G Thomas Replacements: A Eustace, G Cattle
Leinster: R Kearney; S Horgan, M Berne (G Dempsey 66), F Contepomi, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, C Whitaker, O Le Roux (C Healy 76), B Jackman (B Blaney 40), S Wright, L Cullen (capt), M O’Kelly, S Keogh, J Heaslip, S Jennings. Replacements: T Hogan, C Jowitt, K Gleeson, C Keane
Click Here for a Statistical Match Report from the Llanelli Scarlets v Ulster clash
