Scarlets the pick of the Boxing Day Teams
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The well-anticipated Boxing Day clashes came and went in a bang. Very contrasting games as the Cardiff Blues had to work hard for their 16 - 12 victory against the the Dragons. It took a strong defensive effort and poor decision making in the final third by the Dragons for the home side to win this one. In the later game, it seemed as though the Ospreys were still out enjoying Christmas as they were thumped, 44 - 0. A game that included six tries and a very motivated Scarlets also meant that they held out their opposition in the dying minutes.
We take a look at the TOP PERFORMERS from this evening's games:
Ryan Conbeer - Scarlets
Still 20 years old, the left winger was electric and unmatched. He carried for 125 metres from his 6 carries making him the most dangerous attacker, averaging 20.83 metres per carry.
Nearly twice as much as the second-highest carrier by Steff Evans. The Saunderfoot born winger also beat 5 defenders, making 5 clean breaks. From each of his 6 carries he was almost certain to break clear while beating a defender in the process. These figures were nothing compared to the two tries the winger scored and nearly completed his hattrick.
Steff Evans - Scarlets
Scarlets began the game at a fast pace and you would have sworn that the two wingers would have been competing for the first score. The right-winger was the first to score in the 25th minute and scored another on the hour mark. His second try was similar to Ryan Conbeer's first when Angus O'Brien put in a cross-field kick that found Evans out wide on his own. The Llanelli born 25-year-old did well to finish off the hard work. He also racked up 66 running metres from his 6 carries.
Angus O'Brien - Scarlets
Another player growing with each passing game. Fairly new to the Scarlets set up and given the opportunity to play in the absence of Rhys Patchell the pivot grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Controlled the game from the get-go and seemingly made space where there was none. His cross-field kicks were also pinpoint leading to the tries by Ryan Conbeer and Steff Evans. In the end, he was awarded Man of the Match for his fine performance.
Jarrod Evans - Cardiff Blues
Man of the Match in the first game, the Welsh International was very good with his territorial game. This allowed the home side to play all their rugby in good spaces of the field. He also ran well with the ball, racking up 34 metres. He kick 8 of his sides 16 points, proving instrumental to his side near victory. He will need to work on his tackling though as he only managed to make 67% of his tackles.