By David Williams
The tries may have come from their internationals, but the Scarlets had the little known Morgan Jones to thank for their sensational 23-19 Heineken Champions Cup win at Bath.
The Welsh region spent seven minutes defending their try line, and saw the referee rule out two potential tries, the last of which was all to do with Wales U20 lock Jones’ wrapping his arms around home scrum half Ben Spencer.
“The effort at the end was massive, it was all about commitment and heart. We were under so, so much pressure, that was about character,” said a delighted Scarlets head coach, Glenn Delaney.
“There were bits about the defence in the first half I wasn’t so happy with. I was frustrated we weren’t as aggressive as we would have liked, but that character comes through in the big moments.
“These are big game players. We are learning as a group what it is like to be in this contest and that was a big European game for us. It is a big step forward. We will enjoy it and get ready for Toulon next week.”
The win protected the Scarlets’ unbeaten record in Europe at The Rec. They have met Toulon nine times previously across the two European competitions and won twice at home.
The three time Champions Cup winners, Sergio Parisse, Ma’a Nonu, Eben Etzebeth et al, opened up with an impressive 26-14 home win over Sale Sharks.
Gareth Davies crowned his 200th appearance with a first-half try and then his replacement, fellow Wales scrum half Kieran Hardy, rounded off a brilliant attack with a second after the break. The rest f the points came from the boot of you know who – Leigh Halfpenny.
Scarlets trailed 14-10 at the break and 19-13 moving into the final quarter after conceding tries to England duo Ruaridh McConnachie and Will Stuart, but carved out a superb score for replacement half-back Hardy to regain the lead and set up a dramatic finish.
“We moved the ball a little wider on the edge in the second half after never really getting that going in the first half. We were pretty harsh on ourselves at half-time,” added Delaney.
Great to see crowds returning in a controlled, distanced and safe fashion. Thanks for having us @bathrugby @scarlets_rugby @epcrugbyofficial @ Bath, Somerset https://t.co/SRFNOHWK7y
— Simon Muderack (@swmuderack) December 13, 2020
“That try in the middle of the field, with Rob Evans pass to put Kieran away, was outstanding. That is the game we wanted to play, we wanted to move Bath around.
“We knew we couldn’t go at Bath square because they are big and physical and have good players. We saw a bit of the Scarlets way coming out and the DNA of the club.”
Bath were roared on by a crowd of 2,000 to heighten the tension and atmosphere and Delaney and his players can’t wait for the Welsh Government to give the go-ahead for teams in Wales to welcome back their supporters.
“The European campaigns are massive for our club and the travelling support is enormous. The fans are the heartbeat for us – we just want them back in our stadium,” said Delaney.
Delaney’s side were only able to undergo one training session prior to the game after a mini COVID-19 outbreak at the region a few weeks ago forced the players into lockdown. But they still had the strength and organisation to withstand all that manic late pressure from Bath.
Bath drew first blood through Spencer’s boot but the visitors scored a cracking try when man of the match Steff Evans received Halfpenny’s pass before dancing his way past three players. The Wales wing raced clear before drawing his man to put scrum-half Davies over for a try on his landmark appearance.
But Bath’s pack began to get into the ascendancy and they crossed for a stunning try of their own. Some marvellous handling which included Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson, Zach Mercer and Sam Underhill put McConnochie over at the far left-hand corner.
A further penalty from Spencer saw the hosts turn around with a 14-10 lead. The Scarlets received a rocket at half time because they came out like a house on fire with Halfpenny’s boot narrowing the gap to just a point.
The home side’s forwards looked to be gaining the upper hand yet again and they claimed their second try with Stuart barging over Davies to score after a period of sustained pressure.
Just as Bath seemed to be edging clear, the Scarlets scored a try from absolutely nowhere. A break from Dan Jones put Rob Evans through and the prop showed off some lovely hands to put Hardy over for the score.
SCARLETS beat a Bath team yesterday at full strength bar Priestland, we were missing 7 Internationals and lost Jake and Samson early on. .The Scarlets had not played or trained for 3 weeks, and had one training session… Huge Congratulations to all coaches!!! And squad!!!!
— mark thomas (@markthomas157cb) December 13, 2020
After another Halfpenny penalty, the visitors were forced to defend as if their life depended on it in the closing stages of the game. Josh Matavesi was held up over the line as the referee played penalty advantage as Bath kept putting the Scarlets under pressure.
Then, in a dramatic final salvo, Spencer looked as if he had scored, but after consultation with the TMO the try was disallowed and the Scarlets had secured a famous victory. It was as close as that.