Covid19 is having a severe impact on the United Rugby Championship, with nine games having to be postponed during the past two weeks. The organisers are fast running out of dates to accommodate all the fixtures before the final on 18 June 2022.
In the first match of the weekend, Johnny McNicholl scored two tries in the final quarter to earn a 22-19 bonus-point victory for the Scarlets over the Ospreys in a hard-fought Welsh derby in Llanelli.
It was the Scarlets’ first appearance on the field since October 22 and their resolve was rewarded with a match-winning try from McNicholl three minutes from time.
Gareth Davies and Steff Evans also scored tries for the Scarlets, with Dan Jones adding a conversion.
Rhys Webb touched down twice for the Ospreys either side of a Luke Morgan try, while Josh Thomas kicked two conversions, with the match played in an empty Parc y Scarlets due to current Welsh coronavirus restrictions.
In the second match, Bundee Aki’s first try of the season saw Connacht win a fiery United Rugby Championship contest as they edged out Munster 10-8 at the Sportsground.
Andrew Conway’s opportunist 22nd-minute try had Munster 8-3 ahead at half-time, with Connacht’s Oisin Dowling sin-binned late on.
It was Munster’s first URC outing since October and some jostling at the break saw referee Chris Busby show yellow cards to Shane Delahunt and Ben Healy.
Chris Farrell then saw yellow for a dangerous 56th-minute tackle on Connacht replacement Tom Farrell.
Connacht drove Aki over on the hour mark, with replacement Conor Fitzgerald’s crucial conversion earning only their second win in 10 games against Munster.