In the wake of the 18-17 win over Zebre on Sunday evening, Scarlets head coach Glenn Delaney spoke to the media. Here’s what he had to say.
Glenn, was that a little bit too close for comfort?
GD: “I thought Zebre were magnificent and really put pressure on us, but we found a way to win it, which was important. I think we went to 15-3 up and got a little bit seduced by the scoreboard, a little bit carried away. Perhaps there was a bit of inexperience there and we felt as though we could move the ball at will; we were playing against a good, tough, niggly side who will stay in the contest. There are young men out there learning lessons but I am happier to learn it on the winning side. We have been in every contest we have played so far this season, a couple of games have gone our way a couple haven’t. We will keep working hard to make sure the micro-detail of things is improving.
What are those areas to work on?
GD: “The continuity in the first 30 minutes showed if we get quick ball we will score tries, once that ball was slowed down the game became a bit of a stalemate. The attacking breakdown wasn’t as good as it needed to be and they got some turnovers there. I thought defensively we were strong, we didn’t feel as if we were under massive pressure and their try came from an intercept. I also thought we took our tries well and could have had another through Jac (Morgan). We gave the ball plenty of air, the opportunities were still there, but with the attacking breakdown not going our way it was hard to build phases and pressure which we were able to do in the first 30 minutes.”
You have Connacht, Ulster and Leinster next, how tough a challenge is that?
GD: “The boys are working incredibly hard, we need to keep chipping away at the accuracy and will look forward to the next three games. They are great opportunities for us. I am incredibly proud of the way our young guys are going out there and taking their opportunities, they are the future of this club and these upcoming games are a great chance for those young players to keep improving. We will keep pushing the young guys through, this is going to be a great period for them to learn about what PRO14 rugby is all about. I am excited by it.”