A thrilling Champions Cup clash saw Pau triumph over Scarlets in a high-scoring encounter, leaving Scarlets' knockout hopes hanging by a thread. This match was a rollercoaster of emotions, showcasing the unpredictable nature of rugby. Let's dive into the details!
The Scoreboard:
- Scarlets (38): Tries by Macleod (2), Hughes, Plumtree, Hawkins. Conversions by Hawkins (2), and a penalty by Hawkins.
- Pau (47): Tries by Butlin (2), Mondinat, Tuipulotu, Seneca, Attissogbe, Tokolahi. Conversions by Desperes (6).
The Early Onslaught: Pau came out swinging, dominating the first half with a series of impressive tries. They quickly established a commanding lead, putting Dwayne Peel's Scarlets under immense pressure. Explosive wing Toshi Butlin's early tries set the tone, followed by scores from Clement Mondinat and Carywn Tuipulotu, giving Pau a significant advantage.
Scarlets Fight Back: Josh Macleod's two tries sparked a Scarlets comeback, with Archie Hughes adding another to bring them within striking distance. However, Pau showed their class, responding with tries from Remi Seneca, Theo Attissogbe, and Siate Tokolahi, effectively quashing Scarlets' momentum.
The Road Ahead: Scarlets now face a must-win game against Northampton Saints to keep their slim hopes alive. Pau, on the other hand, will take on Bulls. Scarlets are currently in fifth place, which would see them drop into the knockout phases of the Challenge Cup competition.
Key Moments and Turning Points:
- Scarlets initially applied pressure, but a penalty by Hawkins was their only early reward.
- Butlin's quick-tap penalty and subsequent try shifted the momentum in Pau's favor.
- Macleod's tries and a try from Hughes brought Scarlets back into contention.
- Pau's resilience and clinical finishing ultimately secured their victory.
The Breakdown: Scarlets enjoyed an early spell of pressure, but after having two driving mauls repelled, they settled for a Hawkins penalty. But they switched off when a quick-tap penalty by full-back Attissogbe released Butlin who showed a good turn of pace down his wing. Butlin's European debut became even more impressive five minutes later when he latched onto a looping pass from Desperes to saunter over for a second. A third Pau try came inside a devastating eight-minute period, Attisogbe broke the line before giving the scoring pass to replacement Mondinat. Just as the game looked to be getting away, Scarlets hit back when a superb Hawkins touch finder provided a promising platform. Ryan Elias found his target at the lineout and Macleod touched down from the maul. But Pau once again silenced the sparse crowd with Tuipulotu crashing over and leaving his former side a mountain to climb. Scarlets recovered from the disappointment of having a Henry Thomas try disallowed with another powerful maul, and there was no stopping Macleod once he got a sniff of a second. Pau flanker Reece Hewat was shown a yellow card in the build-up, and with their tails up, Tom Rogers was quickest to pounce on a loose ball and chipped ahead for Hughes to win the foot race to the line. Still a man up after the break, Kemsley Mathias' outrageous step looked to have set up a try, but a TMO intervention showed the loose-head had been held up. Scarlets kept coming and a powerful run by Plumtree broke the defensive line, and while he also looked to have been held up, the in-form flanker managed to wriggle free to ground the ball as Scarlets took the lead for the first time since the eighth minute. With the crowd now behind them, Pau's discipline started to crumble and Hawkins finished off after the driving maul had done most of the damage. Nathan Decron headed to the sin bin for an infringement, but Scarlets failed to take advantage as Pau demonstrated why they are currently the second best team in the Top 14. They brought on their replacement forwards who made an instant impact, with prop Seneca taking advantage of some mis-communication in the defence to bust through. A careless Sam Lousi penalry gifted Pau a five-metre lineout, with Attissogbe finding a gap to give his side the lead once more. Fletcher Anderson looked to have come up with what could have been a winning try after Eddie James' pressure had won back possession, but the Scarlets number eight was stripped of the ball moments before grounding. Lengthy replays added to the late drama, but Scarlets fans were left booing the final decision and it was Pau who finished with a flourish with well-taken tries from Attissogbe and Tokolahi.
The Teams:
- Scarlets: Murray; Rogers, Roberts, James, Mee; Hawkins, Hughes; Mathias, Elias, Thomas, Lousi, Ball, Plumtree, Macleod (capt), Anderson. Replacements: Van der Merwe, Hepburn, O'Connor, Price, Davis, Blacker, Leggatt-Jones, Nicholas.
- Pau: Attissogbe; Arfeuil, Decron, Valentino, Butlin; Desperes, Daubagna (capt); Etchebehere, Delhommel, Arrieta, Jolmes, Capelli, Zegueur, Hewat, Tuipulotu. Replacements: Rey, Seneca, Tokolahi, Liufau, Iosefo, Pelesasa, Robson, Mondinat.
The Officials: Referee: Sam Grove-White (Sco). Assistants: Ian Kenny (Sco), Finlay Brown (Sco). TMO: Dave Sutherland (Sco). Sin bin: Hewat (34), Decron (50).
But here's where it gets controversial... The match was filled with dramatic twists and turns, including a disallowed try and a late decision that left Scarlets fans fuming. Do you think the refereeing decisions were fair? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! And this is the part most people miss... Pau's ability to capitalize on Scarlets' mistakes proved to be the difference. What do you think Scarlets could have done differently to secure a win?
