Leeds coach Phil Davies was full of praise for Llanelli's Simon Easterby.
Scarletts coach Gareth Jenkins was full of praise for Simon Easterby after the Irishman helped the Welsh side to an impressive win over Leeds.
Second-half tries from Tal Selley, Iestyn Thomas and Matthew Watkins helped Llanelli to victory at Headingley in their opening Powergen Challenge Cup fixture.
However, it was the performance of Easterby that caught the eye of both coaches as the British & Irish Lion proved too much for the Tykes to cope with.
"I think he proved himself as the Lion he is," stated Jenkins after the 28-7 victory.
"He was magnificent. The incredible thing is that he is still an improving player, he was top drawer.
"We are growing as a team. We played particularly well out in Munster (in the Celtic League) but were unable to get the win."
Leeds director of rugby Phil Davies was equally impressed by Easterby's display as he helped the Welsh team pull off a suprise win over the reigning Powergen Challenge Cup holders.
The former Llanelli player, who spent 14 years at Stradey Park, felt his team's inability to retain possession was the cause of their downfall as they are still left searching for their first win of the campaign.
"Our set-piece was okay but we lost one or two lineouts and lost the ball in the contact area," Davies admitted. "He (Easterby) was world class in that area.
"That was where the game was won and lost - because we were unable to get any continuity.
"But we didn't lack effort and that is where we have got to work on in the next couple of weeks."
