Davies: Thomond factor swung it

LLANELLI SCARLETS head coach Nigel Davies inferred English referee Dave Pearson bowed to the demands of home fans in yesterday’s Heineken Cup confrontation at Thomond Park.

Davies said he was very disappointed with the result, but very pleased with the performance in a game he said could have gone either way. “There were a couple of key moments, a couple of key things we didn’t get right and a couple of unforced errors which put pressure on us.

“There were a couple of big 50-50 calls which could have gone our way. This is an inspiring place and it can be quite daunting for the officials. And you (away team) don’t tend to get 50-50 calls.

“Munster are a good side. They know how to get those wins and they’ve done that constantly through the years. My frustration is that we have to make that step up to come to places like this to beat quality sides like Munster. I think we’re playing the kind of rugby to do that, we’re just not getting those breaks. That’s a big factor. Munster have that experience and that allows them to benefit from those key moments.

“We realise that to do that, we have to deal with the black arts of the contact area and it’s something we’re still coming to terms with. Munster are far shrewder than us in that area and they were able to slow us down when we did get the gain-line. But we’re reasonably young and there’s a huge amount of potential in this side. They’re starting to learn about the intensity that’s required to be successful in Europe. We’ve showed that in the last two games but we still have to make that step.”

It was a learning exercise, especially for the younger players. “A lot of them learned some lessons out there today. It’s an inspiring place for players, they (Munster) have a great crowd and it’s a great environment. You have to deal with that pressure and a lot of our boys did that for large parts of the game. But there were, particularly in the second half, too many unforced errors which, against Munster, come back and bite you.”

Davies referred to Munster’s burning desire in every game they play. “Munster want to win. They’re desperate to win. They’ve got a huge will to win. And they’ve got some quality players who know how to drive the team forward, particularly Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara, who know how to do that.

“Of course, they have talented players as well but there’s a real burning desire for them to succeed and that’s crucial. We knew that. It was interesting to read in the press pre-match as to whether we had the stomach. I think we did that, we fronted up. I’m very proud of these boys but we need to drive this team harder to be successful in these tight games.

“Experience will help, getting those key moments right and the unforced errors. Things we can control. The game is a martial art in the breakdown and we need to be more clever and clinical there.”

For all that needs to improve, Davies hasn’t thrown in the towel on his ambition to qualify for the last eight. Scarlets are on 11 points from four games, with a home tie against Northampton Saints and an away game to Castres to come. He believes his team can still garner enough points to at least put them in with a serious chance of qualifying as one of two best pool runners-up.

“The next games are very important, 19 or 20 will probably see you through as a best runner-up. It’s still a lot to do but we’re still in with a chance which is important.”