This post was originally published on this site.
It was a hectic day for the Scarlets head coach but it all turned out well in the end
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel missed part of his sister’s wedding to guide his team to victory over Cardiff at the Arms Park on Friday night.
The former Wales scrum-half was in the Welsh capital on Friday evening to take charge of the 21-17 win over Cardiff. However, his duties as head coach were sandwiched between the family event in west Wales – with Peel having spent some time at the wedding ahead of kick-off before shooting off afterwards to join the celebrations once more.
In order to get back on the M4, Peel didn’t do all of the usual post-match press duties – although he did speak to broadcast crews after the Scarlets‘ latest victory in the Welsh capital.
The west Walians haven’t lost at the Arms Park since 2019 – with a hard-fought victory built on defence and two tries from Gareth Davies extending that run.
“It wasn’t great for the nerves today,” said Peel. “Three yellow cards put us in a difficult position but we fought hard.
“We talked about the Arms Park in terms of being here to compete. We took our opportunities when they came. We had some sloppy moments.
“I thought we fought splendidly well for each other. It was a bloody good win.”
He added: “It’s my sister’s wedding today. I was there for about an hour.
“I’ll hopefully get back there in time. It’s back in west Wales. If I get back in time, I might have a cheeky Guinness.”
The former scrum-half was unsurprisingly full of praise for match-winner Davies, with the 35-year-old scoring two tries at the Arms Park for the third consecutive season.
“He’s always been pretty good,” said Peel. “I can’t speak highly enough about him because he’s the ultimate professional.
“He’s 35. He keeps himself in great shape. He said to me before he fancied a double so he backed that up.”
With Peel needing to hit the road, Scarlets assistant coach Albert van den Berg also faced the press – with the South African singing the praises of the head coach after the Scarlets’ second league win of the season.
“He’s been good for us,” said van der Berg. “He’s taken the lead.
“Coming into these games, we haven’t had one of the best starts in the URC. We’ve had a couple of tough games.
“He just stuck in there. He said to the boys that we know what we stand for.
“We keep working hard and we’re here to compete. That’s his drive for everyone and it showed tonight in the boys, they really competed.
“It’s tough for him. He’s driving back two-and-a-half hours for his sister’s wedding tonight.
“Credit to him for doing that, still being here for the team and then going back for that.”
