“It was a solid start for us, although we struggled a little bit at the line outs and the Scarlets were probably a little bit better organised than we were,” confessed North Wales coach Mike Leach.
“But we had our chances and, with seven minutes to play, they were only a point ahead of us. The fact they had played together before gave them a little bit of an advantage, but it was a great starting point for us.
“There was a lot of good talent on display on both sides and as this competition evolves I think we will see it showcasing even more quality players. It’s great to finally have a game under our belts and now we can try to develop as a team as we play more games.”
Two penalties from Morris in the first half gave North Wales the end at half-time over a try by left wing Matthew Jacobs, from Llangennech. Morris’ third successful penalty stretched the lead to 9-5 before Jacobs ran in his second try.
North Wales pressed hard to try to regain the lead, but they turned over too much possession at vital times and couldn’t quite press home their territorial advantage. Then, in the closing 10 minutes, the Scarlets’ replacement outside half Adrian Thomas kicked a penalty and Jacobs’ wing partner Thomas Bonnell, of Trimsaron, crossed for a third try for the visitors.
North Wales will meet the Ospreys at Ruthin on 31 January (kick-off 7.15pm).
