Edinburgh 16-21 Llanelli Scarlets: Red and buried

Edinburgh went into this match with a handy five-match winning steak at Murrayfield in the Magners League but they never really looked like adding to that total last night.

While they got to within five points, the final scoreline flattered the home team because the Scarlets scored two tries on the night and a good few other opportunities went west.

While both teams play attractive rugby and attack with the ball in hand, the Scarlets were much slicker across the backline, especially in the midfield where man of the match Jon Davies and Regan King had the jump on their opposite numbers.

"I feel frustrated and, while I don't like to use the word, disappointed," said Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat. "The Scarlets have been going well this season and playing good rugby. We shot ourselves in the foot too often. The start of the second half was the story of the match for us. The Scarlets kicked the ball out on the full, we get a scrum in the middle of the field and they score from it. What we need is more consistency especially at set piece."

It was Nick De Luca's first start of the season, so a little rustiness is only to be expected, but at least Chris Paterson made a successful return to action after his shoulder injury, scoring all his team's points with three penalties, a try and the conversion.

The opening quarter was all Scarlets, who could have scored several tries but had to settle for two early penalties from Rhys Priestland.

The first score almost arrived when flanker Richie Pugh hacked ahead a loose pass and Paterson needed to look lively to win the foot race to the ball. Two Scarlet attacks up the right flank were only bundled into touch with covering tackles from the last man standing and then Scarlets' Morgan Stoddart had a moment he would rather forget.

Kiwi centre King ghosted through several home defenders who were rooted to the spot. The classy centre tried to feed his fullback, only for the ball to bounce backwards off John Houston's knee. With two yards to the Edinburgh try line Stoddart somehow guddled the ball forward as he bent to score and Edinburgh breathed again.

The home side did enjoy a couple of attacks, both of which were sparked by David Blair, who showed why he is reckoned to be the quickest man in the home squad. One scorching break from the fly-half took play inside the Scarlets' 22-metre area but when he linked with Paterson the fullback's pass could only find the visitors' No.8 David Lyons. Paterson made amends by kicking the resulting penalty to get Edinburgh off the mark.

A little later Blair was at it again, this time fooling Richie Rees with an inside dummy, but his floated pass to Lee Jones found the winger in two minds and both of them were clobbered by Sean Lamont.

Blair also had a half break late in the game that almost resulted in a score but "almost" was as close at it got.

Late in the first half Edinburgh managed a sustained series of attacks to put the Scarlets under sustained pressure for the first time in the match but Moffat's men had to settle for their second penalty to level the scores and they didn't hold the whip hand for long. Almost immediately after the break the Scarlets scored the first try of the match before the crowd of just 1,673 - what a difference of the almost 10,000 who paid to see Edinburgh host Glasgow - had even settled back into their seats.

Edinburgh were turned over at a scrum, Davies made a sweet outside break up the left flank and while the burly centre was eventually felled by Paterson, a simple inside pass gave Stoddart a easy run in.

Priestland missed the conversion but extended his team's lead just minutes later with his third penalty.

Paterson matched him with his third but again the Scarlets could have had a try when Davies grubbered the ball infield and Paterson had to hack it into the back of the East Stand to prevent Stoddart from claiming his second score. The visitors weren't denied for long, with Davies going outside De Luca with the help of a text-book handoff that will haunt the Edinburgh man for a while to come. Priestland's touchline conversion just added salt to Edinburgh's wound.

Paterson picked a nice line off replacement James King for a late try which gave Edinburgh hope of getting something out of this game but it came with just seven minutes left to play so all it salvaged was a losing bonus point.

It was all Edinburgh deserved on the night.

Scorers: Edinburgh: Try: Paterson Conv: Paterson Pen: Paterson (2) Scarlets: Try: Stoddart, Davies Conv: Priestland Pen: Priestland (3)

Edinburgh: Paterson, Jones (Webster 64 min), De Luca, Houston (King 68 min), Visser; Blair D, Blair M (Laidlaw 60 min); Jacobsen (Traynor 55 min), Ford (Kelly 55 min), Cross (Young 55 min), MacLeod, McKenzie (Hamilton 57 min), McInally (Newlands 57 min), MacDonald, Talei.

Scarlets: Stoddart, Maule, King, Davies, Lamont; Priestland (Jones S. 64 min), Knoyle (Roberts 64 min); John (Thomas 50 min), Rees, Gardiner (Jones R. 72 min), Cooper (Welsh 57 min), Reed, Fa'amatuainu (Morgan 65 min), Pugh, Lyons.

Referee: P Fitzgibbon (IRFU).

Attendance: 1,673