Patchell can tap into the match-winning nous of coach Jones
IF Rhys Patchell needs any advice on how to win a big European match in Bath, he doesn’t have to look far.
Sixteen years ago, current Scarlets back coach Stephen Jones produced a stunning man-of-thematch performance as Llanelli defied the odds and a saturated surface – the match had been postponed from the day before – to claim a memorable quarterfinal victory at The Rec.
Jones kicked eight penalties and a drop goal as the West Walians celebrated a 27-10 triumph, only to be denied in the cruellest of fashion by a late Tim Stimpson penalty in the semi-final against Leicester in Nottingham.
That January meeting was the last in Europe at the famous old ground which will be packed to the rafters on Friday for what could be another night to remember for the Scarlets in Europe.
It will also be a chance to exact some revenge for the chastening 18-13 defeat at Parc y Scarlets in October, when torrential conditions and a kicking masterclass from ‘old boy’ Rhys Priestland combined to send the West Walians careering towards an early exit from the tournament.
To their credit, Wayne Pivac’s side have managed to claw themselves back into contention for a place in the knockout stages thanks to a maximum haul in their December double header against Benetton.
And as Patchell prepares to go head to head with Wales rival Priestland again, the fly-half believes lessons have been learned from that sodden night in Llanelli.
“The disappointing thing was that we didn’t fire any shots; the one we did was a counter-attack in horrendous conditions and we ended up scoring,” he said.
“The big thing for us is that we don’t come off the field with any bullets in our pocket.
“In the first game they put a bit of a squeeze on us territorially, we couldn’t get ourselves out of our half, we couldn’t get a foothold in the game and Rhys played very, very well on the night.
“But I don’t think we tried to play enough. We have to have a crack at them and whatever happens, happens.”
Patchell starred at full-back in last weekend’s seven-try rout of the Dragons, a result which cemented the region’s position at the top of Conference B of the Guinness PRO14.
His man-of-the-match display earned glowing reviews, with former Wales fly-half, now television pundit, Jonathan Davies suggesting his versatility will stand him in good stead when it comes to international selection.
“There was a lot of running, you forget how much running has to be done from full-back,” smiled Patchell, who is set to return to his favoured No.10 jersey this weekend.
“The coaches asked me to do a job, hopefully I did it to an unacceptable standard, but I shouldn’t be needed to do it again with Leigh Halfpenny and Johnny McNicholl being the fine fullbacks that they are.
“It was nice of Jiffy (Davies) to say that, obviously, everyone has their own opinion as to where players play the best and in what positions.
“I played at 15 last weekend, I was happy to do so, whether I will be required to do it again, I don’t know.” And having finally won a home cap for Wales against South Africa in the autumn, what of his Test ambitions?
“They will pick who they want to pick,” he added.
“All I can worry about is that I put a tidy a performance.”