After a promising finish to last season the Scarlets were looking to kick off the new Rabo Direct Pro 12 with more of the expansive rugby which had served them so well. Aironi meanwhile were looking for their first away win in the league (and only second overall) after making their debut in the competition last year. Both sides were missing a number of key players with ten Scarlets on World Cup duty (including seven with Wales) and a further ten Aironi players in New Zealand with Italy.
With so many experienced players missing, the opening stages were cagey and both sides struggled to get into any kind of rhythm. The constant rain didn't help matters with a few simple passes being dropped in slippery handling conditions. Aironi finally got the first points on the scoreboard in the 8th minute with a Naas Oliver penalty.
The Scarlets continued to huff and puff through the forwards but their attempts to move the ball wide were thwarted by a few dropped passes and a lack of cutting edge. Their constant probing eventually won them a penalty in front of the posts after Aironi strayed offside at a ruck. Young stand-off Dan Newton converted to level the scores at 3-3 with a quarter of the game gone. Within 2 minutes the Scarlets were behind again though, Oliver kicking another 40m penalty to put Aironi 6-3 up after an infringement from the Welsh side at a ruck.
The game continued in the scrappy manner it had begun but the Scarlets finally managed to piece together a few phases of play and after a half-break by Newton they were rewarded with another kickable penalty on the half-hour mark after Aironi were once again pinged for being offside. Referee Andrew McMenemy gave the Italian side a warning for constant infringement while Newton slotted the kick to level the scores at 6-6.
The Scarlets were now in the ascendency but were still struggling to break through the solid Aironi defence. With five minutes to go to half-time, and after another Scarlets foray into their 22, Aironi scrum-half Tito Tebaldi went offside at the ruck and was subsequently sin-binned. Newton again kicked the penalty to take the Scarlets into the lead for the first time. Oliver had a late chance to level the scores but was short with his attempt from just inside his own half.
With no sign of the rain letting up, the second half began in much the same way as the first. Both sides were struggling with their lineout set-piece and neither could gain a foothold in the scrums. Oliver was once again short with a penalty attempt early in the half and was warned for taking too long on his kicks. Within a minute he was given another chance in front of the sticks as the Scarlets went off their feet at a ruck and he made no mistake as he tied the game again.
The game finally opened up a bit in the 50th minute. From turnover ball just outside their own 22, the Scarlets shipped the ball to the right wing where hooker Emyr Phillips (later named Man of the Match) romped over the halfway line. A couple of phases later No 8 Ben Morgan bullocked his way through a couple of tacklers into the 22 and from the resulting ruck the Scarlets recycled the ball to the left where prop Rhys Thomas dived over in the corner. Newton kept up his 100% kicking with an excellent touchline conversion to take the score to 16-9.
The try seemed to invigorate the Scarlets players and they increased the intensity in their play but more handling errors in promising positions. With 20 minutes remaining they were awarded another kickable penalty after Aironi popped up in a scrum and Newton was on target once again to increase the lead to 19-9.
Aironi were lacking any kind of creativity behind the pack and their forwards were struggling to gain much ground against an aggressive Scarlets defence. The Scarlets were beginning to dominate and after a strong run from prop Rhys Thomas they came close to a second try. They were unable to get over the whitewash but another offside infringement from Aironi gave Newton another penalty in front of the posts which he slotted comfortably.
The constant pressure was beginning to tell on the Italians and they were punished for another mistake with five minutes remaining. A speculative grubber kick from impressive outside-half Newton was gathered by Aironi full-back Ruggero Trevisan but he was immediately wrapped up by three Scarlets players. As he attempted to make it to ground the ball was ripped from his grasp by winger Andy Fenby who ran in from 10m out. Newton added the conversion to take the score to 29-9 and in the final minute his replacement Rhys Jones slotted a penalty to complete the win for the home side.
There were obvious signs of rustiness from both sides and the conditions didn't help either of them. The Scarlets invariably coped better and showed greater quality throughout. They will still be unhappy with the overall performance but can take heart that a number of their younger players performed admirably and gain a lot experience. Aironi worked hard in defence but the lack of quality and strength in depth showed. They'll be hopeful that the return of their internationals will provide a boost but they look like they could continue to struggle in the league this season.
