Scarlets Secure Quarter Finals Against La Rochelle

It was quite a night in Parc y Scarlets on Saturday. A first half that brought breath-taking skills on the way to scoring tries and a second half defensive performance that saw the Scarlets put in an astonishing 147 tackles!
With a Quarter Final fixture secured for the first time in eleven years, and a Welsh presence in the knock-out stages for the first time since 2006, the Scarlets had to wait another day in order to find out if they had succeeded in securing a home tie and against whom.
Just rewards for Head Coach, Wayne Pivac and co came the news that Easter weekend in Llanelli will see the arrival of La Rochelle for the biggest game in the history of Parc y Scarlets to date.
Enquiries were made prior to Saturday’s fixture with regards to temporary seating in order to increase the ground’s capacity, but this will have to happen for the Quarter Finals as tournament rules state that a minimum capacity of 15,000 is required for a knock-out fixture.
A very pleased Wayne Pivac said after Saturday’s game, “We scored some good tries in the first half, built up a bit of a lead and then it was about defence after that.”
“We just seemed to be at the wrong end of the penalties which meant that territory and position was heavily against us in the second half,” he continued. “Big men continually coming at us and the boys just kept getting up and knocking them over – Byron Hayward is a very happy man and, so he should be, the boys stood up defensively which won us the game in the end.”
“We set some goals as a team,” he added. “Obviously we wanted to be in the play-offs, to try to win again in the Pro14. After a slow start in Rounds 1 and 2 it’s been a fantastic effort to win all four which is what we had to do.”
It was a double celebration for Attack Coach, Stephen Jones who became a father to a third son just before midnight on Friday. “I’m pleased to say that good old Gwen has allowed Stephen a late pass tonight to celebrate with the boys the birth of his son and obviously the win,” joked Pivac.
“I think tonight’s a very important night for this ground,” Pivac continued. “Now, hopefully we’re going to get more and more backing from the locals in terms of support. We had great support tonight there obviously and I think it was really, really important for the future to come away with that win. “
“It’s a little bit of history for this team,” he added. “We want to create our own history and the boys have worked hard towards that so we’re very, very pleased.”
Had the Scarlets managed to secure a try bonus point against Toulon, they would have been guaranteed home advantage in the Quarter Finals, rather than face the wait to see where their destiny lay, “We’ll be hoping some teams can help us out,” quipped Pivac post-match, and that is exactly what happened!
“The boys would love to play at home,” he continued. “But, we’re very, very happy to be in the Quarters and will just wait and see.”
There was a special mention for Scarlets Captain, Ken Owens who appeared to have picked up a leg injury early on during the game but not only played for the full 80 minutes, but very much led from the front.
“He led by example,” praised Pivac. “Another big effort from Ken, particularly defensively…two weeks in a row! He’s been flying out of the line and knocking big guys over.”
“I thought he had a tremendous game,” Pivac continued. “We thought about bringing him off and getting young Ryan out there, but it was one of those games where I think we needed our leader out there, to lead from the front, and he did that for us.”
A very relieved Rhys Patchell confirmed that the team was thrilled to have reached the Quarter Finals. “It’s a bit of cliché, but the boys put their bodies on the line,” he added. “You look around the changing room and there’s a lot of sore, battered bodies there. We said we needed a big game tonight and effort and it proved that way…. we’re just thrilled to be here – that’s the emotion!”
“If we are back here, it would be great wouldn’t it?” he continued. “It would be fantastic – the place was packed today, the support we had travelling to Bath was phenomenal as well, so it will be a great occasion.”
Despite the fate of the Scarlets being in the balance for almost 24 hours, it was finally confirmed that the Welsh Region had secured a huge home Quarter Final fixture against French Top 14 side, Stade Rochelais.
The French new-comers have taken French rugby by storm over the last year. Last season, they led the Top 14 before the knock-out stages only to be beaten by a last-gasp Drop Goal against Toulon in the play-offs.
In terms of style of rugby, they are very similar to the Scarlets with an attacking flair, coupled with a strong pack.
The Scarlets have today (Monday) announced that tickets for this fixture will go on sale to season ticket holders only from 9am on Friday 26th January until 7pm on Friday, 9th February. Season ticket holders will pay a discounted price for their ticket but will not be able to purchase any additional tickets.
Supporters who opted in for the Scarlets Hotspot Newsletter will have the opportunity to purchase tickets between 7pm on Thursday 8th February until 7pm on Friday, 9th February before tickets go on general sale at 9am on Saturday 10th February.