Gareth’s fatal error costs his Scarlets in late drama
IT WAS heartbreak hotel for the Scarlets as they conceded a last-gasp penalty try to go down to defeat by the narrowest of margins to French giants Racing 92.
Leading 13-7 with just minutes remaining, Wayne Pivac’s side saw scrumhalf Gareth Davies yellow carded for sacking a French driving line-out. It proved to be a fatal mistake.
Referee Matthew Carley ran under the sticks to award an automatic seven points which saw Racing come from behind to steal the spoils at the last.
Last season’s Champions Cup semi-finalists saw Davies and his international colleague and namesake Jonathan stamp their mark on the game as the Scarlets scored twice in five secondhalf minutes to overturn a half-time deficit.
Gareth Davies dived over for the first home score and then Jonathan slid through a clever grubber which Johnny McNicholl finished with aplomb.
It looked like being enough for victory, but Racing’s forwards had the last laugh.
Leigh Halfpenny gave the hosts an early 3-0 lead, but rookie fly-half Angus O’Brien – on his first Scarless start – had a shocking opening quarter.
He put the kick-off out on the full, dropped a high ball, saw his clearance attempt charged down, and then spillled a pass from half-back partner Davies.
O’Brien had stepped in for concussed Wales international Rhys Patchell, but his errors aside it was a bitty, fragmented contest. The Scarlets forwards were going well – one excellent counter-ruck prevented a pushover Racing try – but the side were guilty of some poor tactical kicking.
Racing gave away a string of penalties but escaped without a card and went to the break in front with a try almost on the half-time whistle.
It came out of nothing, scrum-half Xavier Chauveau selling a wonderful dummy and popping the ball up for Baptiste Chouzenoux who cantered to the line. Finn Russell converted.
The usually reliable Wales centre Hadleigh Parkes – wearing bright pink boots – was guilty of some poor tactical kicking which summed up an awful first 40 minutes.
Pivac O’Brien and Jake Ball – who had both suffered knocks – for the second period.
Dan Jones was the man to come on at 10, but some good old fashioned Welsh drizzle only served to make the paucity of the game even worse.
It was ironic, then, that two quick home tries soon arrived.
First, the Scarlets forwards did their job from a scrum and Gareth Davies picked up and went blind to score in the corner. Then Jonathan Davies kicked to McNicholl in space and the winger cleverly picked up and slid over.
Halfpenny, unusually, missed both conversions.
Still, a brace of scores in just five minutes left Racing to chase the game but their pack finally ground the hosts down.
From a line-out surge Davies was penalised and that was that.