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Scarlets full-back Liam Williams
Scarlets will bid to add Bristol Bears to their recent list of Gallagher Premiership scalps as they try to follow the English club into the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup on Saturday.
The Welsh region are bottom of Pool B but only four points behind eighth-placed Wasps and have won three of their last four matches against Premiership opposition in the pool stage of the competition.
The Pool B match, which kicks off at Parc y Scarlets at 5.30pm, will be televised live on BT Sport, beIN Sports and S4C.
Other key facts:
- Scarlets will face Bristol Bears for the first time in European competitions. They were scheduled to meet in Round 1 this season, but the match was cancelled and a 28-0 win awarded to Bristol.
- Bristol have alternated between wins and defeats in their last seven away games in the Heineken Champions Cup, losing the most recent such match 17-36 against Union Bordeaux-Bรจgles in the last 16 in 2020/21.
- Bristol are the only team yet to miss a kick at goal in the Heineken Champions Cup this season (4/4) while Scarlets are the only team yet to make a successful place kick (0/2).
- Bristol centre Semi Radradra made 17 carries in Round 3 of this seasonโs Heineken Champions Cup, the joint most of any back with Leinster centre Garry Ringrose and the joint second most overall, behind Leicester No.8 Jasper Wiese (19).
๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐
Next stop: Parc y Scarlets ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ pic.twitter.com/8Wuuml2py9
— Bristol Bears (@BristolBears) January 19, 2022
Quotes:
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel: โItโs massive, as we havenโt played in front of a home crowd since Benetton on October 22. I just hope the crowd turn up and support the boys because I am sure they have missed it as much as we have missed them here and the sense of occasion around that. It is a local derby in terms of an Anglo-Welsh clash. It will be great to have a good atmosphere here and I know the boys are relishing that as well.โ
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam: โWe are building nicely, because weโre working hard. Weโve got to get back to work again. We want to finish as high up as we can, which influences later on.โ
Semi Radradra scored Bristol's opening try against Scarlets
Bristol Bears underlined their Heineken Champions Cup title credentials as they rounded off their Pool B campaign with a 52-21 victory over Scarlets in an entertaining match at Parc y Scarlets.
Bristol, already qualified for the Round of 16 prior to the game, secured an all-important top-four finishย with their win.
It was a good spectacle from the start as tries from Semi Radradra and Ioan Lloyd – set up by an exquisite behind-the-back pass from Chris Vui – were converted by Callum Sheedy for the visitors.
But Scarlets – playing in front of their fans for the first time in three months – were persistent and well organised, and Ryan Elias powered over to get one back.
Rhys Patchell’s boot was significantly more reliable than it had been in Round 3, and he added two penalties to the conversion to take his side in within one point at the break.
Simply a different level. ๐@ChrisVui_ came to PLAY. ๐
๐ด 3-14 ๐ป#SCAvBRI | #BristolBearspic.twitter.com/iT71QU1k6T
— Bristol Bears (@BristolBears) January 22, 2022
Scarlets got off to a good start in the second half, with Patchell kicking a 43rd-minute penalty, but it was a yellow card shown to Elias on 56 minutes that really turned the game.
A penalty try to Bristol followed, and although Johnny McNicholl crossed for Scarlets just before the hour, the visitors capitalised on the extra space, Harry Thacker jogging over on 62 minutes.
And even after Scarlets were back up to the full complement of players, the Bristol tries kept coming, with Piers O’Conor, Siva Naulago, Sheedy and a second from Radradra concluding the bonus point win.
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