Scarlets' season ended by Leinster despite valiant performance

The Scarlets were knocked out of the United Rugby Championship play-offs after a valiant 33-21 defeat to top seeds Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

First-half tries from Tom Rogers and Blair Murray saw Dwayne Peel's side trail by just a point at the break. However, the pressure told in the second-half as the league leaders pushed ahead - even if Johnny Williams' late score did briefly threaten a comeback.

Having reached the play-offs after finishing eighth in the league, the Scarlets were given a tough trip to Dublin to start the play-offs.

And, while they'll be disappointed with how it unfolded - particularly the second-half which saw their discipline falter as they lost two players to yellow cards - they'll be able to reflect on an 80 minutes where they rattled Leinster and a season where they made big strides forward.

The Scarlets hadn't graced the play-offs since 2018, when they actually reached the Pro14 final as defending champions - only to lose to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

A similar result was heavily tipped, with Leinster the 1/50 favourites with some bookmakers.

And, when Ireland winger James Lowe crossed for the opening try after some relentless pressure four minutes in, it looked like being a long afternoon in Dublin for the Scarlets.

Five minutes later, the Irish province had their second score. Ireland No. 8 Jack Conan was put through a gap, with the Lion putting Jamison Gibson-Park over.

The Scarlets had to wait until the end of the first quarter for their first opportunity, but when it came, they took it well.

From an attacking lineout, a couple of quick phases shortened up the Leinster defence, before quick hands from Joe Roberts and Sam Costelow put Rogers in a bit of space.

With the home side