BATTLING SCARLETS KO'D BY RAMPANT TOP SEEDS

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.

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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 giant strides.

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.