Edinburgh 24 - 20 Scarlets: Grant impressive in win over Scarlets but Edinburgh miss vital bonus point

Edinburgh had been forced into a major reshuffle before kick-off with Nick De Luca, Ben Cairns and Jim Hamilton dropping out with groin, hamstring and back injuries respectively. Simon Webster and John Houston returned, Mark Robertson moved into full-back and Jim Thompson shifted to centre, with Fraser McKenzie, the back row/lock, returning to the bench for Hamilton, and it also led to a first call-up to the professional game for Tom Brown, the promising full-back at Edinburgh Accies who only turns 20 next week.

That may have played a part in blunting the finish to what was ambitious, pacy lead-up work, but still the home side possessed were a more experienced and talented outfit than the Llanelli side that pitched up and should have won this game more convincingly than they did.

Despite good performances from the back five in the pack, particularly, their superiority only showed in flashes and the hosts' failure to show consistency in their levels of skills for any decent period of time ensured the Scarlets, ninth in the league to the hosts' second, remained in the contest until the death. In fact, but for a few missed kicks they might have won it, and stuck a major spoke in Edinburgh's bid to reach the play-offs.

Rhys Priestland converted a good early break by the Scarlets into a 3-0 lead, but that fired the hosts and fine bits of running from Robertson brought immediate rewards, his break on the right creating the platform that drew a penalty in the 13th minute and another mazy run on the left causing the Scarlets problems and provoking a penalty just over two minutes later, both of which Godman converted to put the hosts 6-3 in front with 15 minutes played.

MacDonald, the Edinburgh flanker back from his first taste of Six Nations action, was prominent in finding space in attack, Webster and Tim Visser looked for yards out wide and Godman continued to ask questions with his kicks. The breakthrough came in the 26th minute when Roddy Grant underlined his growing reputation as a No 8 with promise, breaking through tackles, sprinting towards the 22 and then running an arc infield round the full-back, Daniel Evans, and beating him for pace to dive in by the posts.

Godman converted to hand Edinburgh a 13-3 lead, but the young Scarlets side hit back on the half-hour when Andy Fenby, a former teammate of Visser's at Newcastle, streaked away from poor defence on the left touchline and when the ball came infield more defensive slackness was exposed as David Lyons, the Scarlets skipper, broke to feed Regan King who drew a strangely solitary defender to put Phil Johns in for an easy try, converted by Priestland.

Mistakes crept into the Edinburgh play,

but he half-time team-talk worked wonders as, from a Blair break in the opening minute of the second half, Robertson and Visser combined for the latter to score his seventh league try of season. Godman converted, but still the Scarlets kept their fingers into the hosts' shirt-tails, Priestland slotting a penalty before Godman restored Edinburgh's eight-point advantage with his second.

Within minutes Matthew Rees, the Scarlets replacement hooker, was charging down a Blair clearance and crossing the home line, but a foot in touch eased Edinburgh palpitations.

Good runs by Steve Turnbull, a strong presence in the loose, and eventual man-of-the-match Grant lifted promise again, but a knock-on killed it, and Dan Newton, on at stand-off for the injured Priestland, let Edinburgh off the hook with a penalty miss.

There was much to admire about Edinburgh's set-piece work and lead-up play, but Godman's turn to a drop-goal on the hour-mark was a pragmatic realisation of the lack of a clinical ability to convert their possession into tries.

Robertson denied the Scarlets an immediate reply with a try-saving tackle on Lee Williams, and Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat replaced half-backs Blair and Godman with Greig Laidlaw and David Blair, the clear message being to grip this game and secure the victory.

Still, however, the Scarlets ran ball and off-loaded with ambition, if not always precision, and earned their reward when Andy Fenby escaped Blair, Robertson and several despairing hands to spring clear and score with 12 minutes left, Newton's conversion bring the Scarlets to within four points.

Edinburgh were made to sweat in the closing minutes as Scarlets ran a penalty and pushed for the match-winning score. It did not come, the Edinburgh defence held firm and the drive for the play-offs remains on track; just.

Scorers: Edinburgh: Tries: Grant, Visser; Pens: Godman 3; Con: Godman; Drop-goal: Godman. Scarlets: Tries: John, Fenby; Pens: Priestland 2; Cons: Priestland, Newton.

Edinburgh: M Robertson; S Webster, J Thompson, J Houston, T Visser; P Godman, M Blair (capt); K Traynor, A Kelly, G Cross, S MacLeod, S Turnbull, A MacDonald, R Rennie, R Grant. Subs: A Jacobsen for Traynor, R Ford for Kelly, both 54mins, G Laidlaw for Blair, D Blair for Godman, both 64, S Newlands for MacDonald 66, F McKenzie for Turnbull 67.

Scarlets: D Evans; L Williams, R King, J Davies, A Fenby; R Priestland, M Roberts; P John, K Owens, R Thomas, D Welch, D Day, J Turnbull, R Pugh, D Lyons (capt). Subs: M Rees for Owens 37mins, D Newton for Priestland 52, R McCusker for Pugh, T Knoyle for Roberts, both 60, G Maule for Williams 66.

Referee: P Fitzgibbon (Ireland). Attendance: 2762.