Pivac delighted to secure semi-final berth

Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac was delighted to see his side qualify for PRO12’s semi-final with a 30-8 win over Connacht in Galway, with a game to spare in the regular championship.

The Scarlets got their semi-final hopes off to a resounding start on Saturday scoring four tries in the first half an hour but it was Connacht who looked to control the second half keeping Scarlets scoreless until the final few minutes.

A fifth and final try came for the Scarlets in the closing stages making it a resounding 30-8 victory and cementing a place in the championship play-offs.

Speaking after the game Pivac said: “It was a very good first half, we were very happy with that. Getting four tries in the first half probably exceeded what we thought we’d achieve. We were very pleased and that set the foundation for the win.

“Today was all about the win. Even at 22-3 we weren’t convinced it was going to be enough with the way that Connacht play. They can score tries from a long way out. We had to work pretty hard right through to the final whistle.”

Scarlets will now take on Ospreys, at Parc y Scarlets, on Saturday 6 May. Ospreys are all but safe in the semi-finals and the West Wales derby will determine third and fourth places.

Pivac went on to say: “Now we look forward to the Ospreys next week, the weight and pressure of making the top four is out of the way now and it just becomes a derby. It’s a massive game for us. We’ll look forward to that, enjoy a well-earned break and then we’ll prepare for our first semi final in a long time.

“We’ve worked really hard to get here and now we want to give ourselves the best shot at a great performance.”

On Scarlets’ potential opposition in the semi-finals, Leinster and Munster, Pivac added: “Leinster are playing some superb rugby at the moment. Albeit it was in an international window but Leinster gave us a bit of a tuning a few weeks back. They are a very good side.

“Munster have probably got the best defence in the competition. Whichever way you look at it there’s going to be a massive effort required whichever semi final we’re in.

“We don’t have a preference, we’re pleased to be there. We didn’t have a point on the board after the first three rounds. It’s been a good turnaround and a lot of hard work has gone in to get us to this position.

“All the teams work hard throughout the year and it’s all about having the opportunity to play in the final. We’ve now created that opportunity, we’re now 80-minutes away from that possibility. The boys will enjoy the fact that we’ve done it with a round to go after the slow start to the season.”