Pembroke Dock Quins 14 pts.

Pembroke RFC 41

The Quins came truly unstuck as their local rivals hit them with four tries in a devastating 15-minute spell at the back end of the first half.

It looked good for the Quins in the early stages, first they repelled early Scarlets pressure, before replying with a try from outside-half Jake Griffiths, who ran a fine line after taking a well-timed pass from scrum-half Bradley James.

It took until the 25th minute for Pembroke to get on the scoreboard, through number eight Sam Smith; fullback Luke Hartland missed the conversion. A few minutes later second row and captain Scott Powell led from the front when he crashed over for his side’s second try; this time Hartland converted to put his side 17-7 in front.

The bonus point try was not long in coming when left wing Barry John touched down wide out for an unconverted try, then right on the break Smith forced his way over for a try which was converted by Hartland.

With the score standing at 29-7 in the visitors’ favour, the Quins had it all to do in the second half.

The Quins could not have got the second half off to a better start, within minutes they were awarded a penalty try as the visitors tried desperately to keep them out, but after one infringement too many, the referee ran under the posts to award the Quins the try. With the conversion not needed anymore, the Quins closed the gap 29-14.

It was all about how the hosts would respond as Pembroke now were in total command.

The Quins repelled attack after attack which spoke volumes for their commitment and determination, but two late tries from Sam Smith, which were converted by Hartland and replacement Billy Woods, put paid to the Quins getting anything from the game.

The Scarlets now have one hand on the Eric Brown Cup, and also sent out a warning to the rest of the league, even if we are in the early stages of the season.