Six-try Scarlets overcome Ospreys in URC derby

Scarlets full-back Blair Murray made his Wales debut in 2024

United Rugby Championship

Scarlets (17) 38

Tries: Murray, Fifita, J Roberts, James, Plumtree, Penalty Cons: Lloyd 3

Ospreys (17) 22

Tries: Morris, Hopkins, Edwards Cons: Edwards 2 Pens: Edwards

Scarlets kept alive their United Rugby Championship play-off hopes and dented the Ospreys' chances with a bonus-point victory in the first of a derby double-header.

In front of 11,384 fans in Llanelli, Dwayne Peel's side recorded a first win against Ospreys since January 2022 with the six-try performance.

Ospreys opened up a 17-point lead in 15 minutes with tries from number eight Morgan Morris and full-back Iestyn Hopkins before the visitors were undone by ill discipline.

Hooker George McGuigan and scrum-half Kieran Hardy were shown yellow cards as Scarlets levelled the scores at half-time with a penalty try and further efforts from Blair Murray and Vaea Fifita.

Second-half scores from Wales trio Joe Roberts, Eddie James and Taine Plumtree sealed the win.

Ospreys fly-half Dan Edwards scored a fine try in a 12-point display but his side left Parc y Scarlets with nothing.

Scarlets and Ospreys are level on 33 points with both teams outside the top eight play-off places in 10th and 11th places respectively.

They will meet again in eight days with the European Challenge Cup last-16 tie in Swansea on Sunday, 6 April.

Struggling Welsh rugby needs some positives with the precarious financial climate hitting this week as both sides recorded annual losses of more than £2m.

A five-figure crowd should lift some spirits for an occasion that saw friends of 30 years go against each other in the shape of opposite head coaches Peel and Mark Jones, who were former Scarlets and Wales team-mates.

Jones' first game in charge was against Scarlets just before Christmas as Ospreys secured a dramatic last-gasp 23-22 victory with a Iestyn Hopkins try.

This defeat in Llanelli was just a second in nine games since he took over as head coach from Toby Booth.

Full-back Hopkins was one of eight changes from the side that beat Connacht 43-40 with the back three of Jack Walsh, Keelan Giles and Daniel Kasende rested.

Wales captain Jac Morgan was back to lead the side with prop Gareth Thomas also starting, while Wales full-back Murray returned for Scarlets after recovering from a calf injury.

Ospreys arrive late, Scarlets start slowly

Welsh singer Dafydd Iwan galvanised the crowd with his rousing rendition of 'Yma o Hyd'.

The Ospreys had been late arriving to the Llanelli ground because of an accident just outside the ground with the kick-off delayed by five minutes.

It was the Scarlets who were caught cold from the kick-off with a disastrous opening quarter which started with conceding a try after 49 seconds.

Wales wing Ellis Mee failed to take the restart before his horribly slicked kick set up an attacking line-out.

Ospreys originally lost the set-piece but a strong Morgan tackle on Scarlets lock Alex Craig saw the ball dislodged with Morris pouncing on possession to score.

Edwards converted and slotted over a penalty before the visitors took advantage of another glaring error from the hosts.

A break from Ospreys wing Luke Morgan allowed Hopkins to collect his own chip after Scarlets fly-half Ioan Lloyd inexplicably failed to gather possession.

Scarlets, with captain Josh Macleod disrupting the Ospreys' breakdown, finally woke up with a well-worked try for Murray following a long looping Lloyd pass.

South African referee Griffin Brandon Colby then decided not to give a yellow card to Fifita for tackling Hopkins in the air.

Scarlets storm back

Scarlets' dominance forced Ospreys to continually infringe and after a couple of warnings, visiting hooker McGuigan was shown a yellow card on his first start.

Another yellow card was brandished as Scarlets were awarded a penalty try but the officials lost control as Ospreys still had 14 men at the restart.

After they finally realised, Hardy was identified as the man who had been sin-binned.

Scarlets took advantage with a clever move involving Sam Lousi, Lloyd and Macs Page allowing Fifita to canter over on his 50th appearance to level the scores at half-time.

Ospreys made a couple of half-time replacements with full-back Max Nagy and lock Rhys Davies coming on for Hopkins and James Ratti before Wales prop Gareth Thomas was also forced off.

Scarlets again took advantage with a fine one-handed inside pass from prop Alec Hepburn releasing centre Roberts to canter away for the bonus-point score.

Ospreys were in disarray and Ryan Conbeer's failure to collect a Gareth Davies cross-kick allowed Page to inadvertently set up James to score.

Ospreys attempted to regroup with some scrum dominance but attempted one set-piece too many.

Mistakes from visiting replacements Luke Davies and Nagy allowed the platform to Plumtree to burrow over.

Scarlets skipper Macleod was shown a late yellow card before Wales fly-half Edwards produced a fine individual try - but that proved little consolation.

What they said

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel: "To say it was a ropey start from us would be an understatement.

"I don't think we looked like a rugby team for the first 15 minutes and it was error after error.

"I am proud of the resilience we showed and for the last 60 minutes we showed we were a good side and played in the right areas.

"When they had a few yellow cards we made them pay and that is what the game is about."

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones: "We got off to an awesome start and were looking pretty good.

"I was pleased with the first 25 minutes especially coming away from home but discipline came into the game after that.

"The yellow cards changed the format of the game and Scarlets exploited the extra players really well and their execution was good."

Line-ups

Scarlets: Blair Murray; Macs Page, Joe Roberts, Eddie James, Ellis Mee; Ioan Lloyd, Gareth Davies; Alec Hepburn, Marnus van der Merwe, Henry Thomas, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (capt), Taine Plumtree

Replacements: Ryan Elias, Sam O'Connor, Sam Wainwright, Jac Price, Jarrod Taylor, Efan Jones, Ioan Nicholas, Dan Davis

Sin-bin: Macleod (69)

Ospreys: Iestyn Hopkins; Luke Morgan, Evardi Boshoff, Owen Williams, Ryan Conbeer; Dan Edwards, Kieran Hardy; Gareth Thomas, George McGuigan, Ben Warren, James Ratti, Adam Beard, Tristan Davies, Jac Morgan (capt), Morgan Morris

Replacements: Dewi Lake, Steffan Thomas, Tom Botha, Rhys Davies, Morgan Morse, Luke Davies, Phil Cokanasiga, Max Nagy

Sin-bin: McGuigan (33), Hardy (34)

Referee: Griffin Brandon Colby (South Africa)

Assistant Referees: Adam Jones, Ellis Poulden (Wales)

Television match official (TMO): Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)