But two tries apiece from Rob McMusker and centre Jonathan Davies ensured the Scarlets claimed a much-needed bonus point in their 31-22 Heineken Cup shock win.

London Irish’s loss could prove costly, with the Exiles now needing to beat Leinster with a bonus point at Twickenham next Saturday, and deny the defending champions any points, if they are to top the pool.

“We were very disappointed with the two games against Leinster and we were very keen to make up for that,” said Davies.

"We were put on the back foot a little bit with the amount of injuries that we had to some experienced players.

"But these young players are developing really nicely and we saw some outstanding performances from them.

"The challenge for them now is to consistently play at that level. It was reasonably easy to get them up for this one-of game, but we've got to go away to Brive next week and do exactly the same otherwise this doesn't count for very much.

"So that's a challenge, but in terms of where this squad is going, there are a lot of young, young players out there and I'm delighted for them more than anything else.”