Scarlets second best to Leinster

The Scarlets were hammered 39-7 in Dublin, just seven days after being on the wrong end of an equally comprehensive 32-7 scoreline at the Parc y Scarlets.

And with the Scarlets now struggling to qualify for the latter stages despite winning their opening two Heineken Cup fixtures, Davies says his side were unable to match Leinster's experience and European pedigree.

"We were second best by a long way," said Davies.

"All credit to Leinster, they were a couple of levels above us and it showed.

"Leinster have players who have experience of winning this tournament and we have players who have just started to understand the demands of Europe."

But despite the nature of the defeat and the obvious disappointment of the realisation that the Scarlets' Heineken Cup dream is all but over for another season, Davies found positives to take back into the Magners League campaign.

The Scarlets are still a side in transition, one blooding plenty of young players and hoping to build a platform for long-term success.

And with key figures such as British & Irish Lions hooker Matthew Rees currently out injured, Davies believes there is better to come from the Scarlets - hopefully against the Ospreys and Dragons on Boxing Day and New Year's Eve.

"We do have some quality players missing and that is hurting us. We were a very young side out there and they will learn from tough experiences like this," added Davies.

"We are three years off where Leinster are today and this is a learning experience for our younger Scarlets players. They have to go through games like these and defeats like this as part of that learning curve.

"I was reasonably pleased with the display at half-time, but Shane Horgan's interception try was a killer for us and hurt us badly. We needed an early score in the second half but we conceded a couple of soft tries and that gave Leinster a lot of confidence.

"I cannot fault my players' endeavour and effort but we were up against a side which has won the Heineken Cup and looked it.

"We are looking forward to the big game against the Ospreys next weekend with a sell-out crowd. The form book out goes of the window for the big derby games and we will want to lift our heads high against our neighbours for what will be a great encounter."