Peel pleased with positives despite Scarlets falling to Sharks defeat in seven try thriller 

A hat-trick from Werner Kok was the standout as the visitors picked up a bonus point victory, whilst decorated Springbok prop Vincent Koch also would go over for the South African’s who would be victorious on European soil for the first time this campaign. 

It would be a much stronger showing from the home side who fought hard in a back-and-forth contest with Ryan Ellias, Kemsley Mathias and Ioan Nicholas all on the scoresheet. 

The power of an international pack, creativity of man of the match Siya Masuku and finishing of Kok would be the difference, however, on the night where the Scarlets would produce more like the 80-minute performance Peel had called for pre-match. 

Kok, making his 50th appearance for the South African side, scored the opening try at Parc y Scarlets before Elias replied for the home side. 

Koch’s score was then matched by opposite number Mathias as Scarlets continued to peg Sharks back. 

But Kok twice gathered cross-field kicks by fly-half Masuku in the second half to go over in the corner for the bonus point. 

Centre Nicholas, who had a hand in both earlier home tries, then crossed late for a deserved try to set up a tense climax only for Scarlets to fall just short. 

“We fought hard for 80 minutes and there were elements of the game which I’m really proud of,” said Peel. 

“The challenge for us is to keep that consistency because we had it for a period last week and for 80 minutes this week. 

“If we keep delivering that level of fight and consistency then we will get what we deserve. 

“Defensively I thought we were strong. Our maul defense at times was really good. They have a big pack and came after us at set-piece and scrum particularly. 

“It was probably the avenue they had to get into the game. Otherwise, I felt we dealt with most of what they offered. 

“We played with freedom at times when we had the ball and there are a lot of positives to take. It was a good squad effort.” 

Peel took time to heap praise on Nicholas whose vision and athleticism played a part in all three Scarlets tries.  

“I’m pleased for Ioas [Ioan Nicholas], he is a real glue player for us,” continued Peel. 

 “I think he is undervalued on the outside but for us, we really value him and hold him in high regard.  

“He is a great team man who has come through the academy and can play in multiple positions and can perform well equally. 

“He is a good character, speaks well and his communication is good. 

“It was a good game from him but that is no surprise to me, I think if you look back through his games, he rarely has a bad one.” 

Ultimately, Peel would admit the quality of the Sharks pack would be a telling factor in the match but would be proud of his young side’s performance in staying in the contest. 

“It’s a Springbok front five and that’s the reality,” he said.  

“You have Ox [Nche] on the left and [Vincent] Koch on the right, [Eben] Etzebeth behind. Those are double World Cup winners. 

“Ox and Koch are 30+ [years old] and have a lot of maturity in the game. They have been there, done it and worn the shirt. 

“They are a powerful unit and for our young props Kemsley [Mathias], Sam [Wainwright] and Harri O’Connor it’s a learning curve. 

“We are not happy with losing the game but the feeling from us is that we need to keep building that level of performance as a bare minimum. 

“It wasn’t to be today, but it was a proper game of rugby I felt.” 

[Lead image: Scarlets Rugby]