Scarlet Fever is a terrible affliction, I first contracted it in October 1972, but the outcome was not All Black and the 9/3 chance of survival went in my favour.

Back in the olden days when I was young, Llanelli were the knock-out kings. They won the Welsh cup, which alternated in title between Schweppes, SWALEC, Konica Minolta, and Principality on ten occasions between 1985 and 2010, including four in a row between 1973 and 2010. 1976.

The knock-out kings also reached two European Champions Cup semi-finals, losing both to Northampton and Leinster respectively.

Then in 2017 the knock-out glory days returned with a bang with the men in red winning the Pro12 and in the process defeating Leinster in a semi-final in Dublin followed by victory over Munster in the final. This remarkable Dublin double is now permanently etched in Scarlet folklore.

Yesterday, those from West Wales and the exiled global fever suffers were hoping that lightning would strike twice, albeit with an eight-year gap between the flash and the bang.

But 2025 proved to be absent of any cumulonimbus activity and the charged activity emanating from the blue wave eventually washed away any Scarlet hopes of a repeat of that epic result in 2017, but boy were they were made to work for it.

Two Leinster tries in the opening nine minutes looked ominous for Scarlets, and there were plenty sitting in the Dublin sunshine thinking this may be a rout. But a try from Tom Rogers in the nineteenth minute and a length of the field effort on minute forty from Blair Murray meant there was only one point between the teams at half-time.

An early second half try from Osborne extended Leinster’s lead to 22-14, and Hugo Keenan’s unconverted effort made it 27-14 on 59 minutes.

Prendergast added a 65th minute penalty pen, but Scarlets refused to lie down, and a wonderful move ended with Johnny Williams touching down near the post Costelow’s conversation made it 30-21 and with ten minutes remaining you felt the game with a bit of Carmarthenshire sorcery could still be there for the taking, but another Prendergast pen on 73m sealed it for Leinster

Scarlets can go back across the Irish Sea with their heads held high they have qualified for next season’s Investec Champions Cup and their performances towards the latter part of the season have given a swell of optimism for next season on the field.

Off the field off course is a different matter in the turbulent world of welsh rugby administration but for now the Scarlet faithful can take pride in their knocked out knock out kings and there are worse places to drown your sorrows than Dublin