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It has been a difficult build-up to the final Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final for both clubs. Brive will have to go into the game without the services of their skipper Antonie Claassen and leading points scorer Julien Camanati
It has been a difficult build-up to the final Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final for both clubs. Brive will have to go into the game without the services of their skipper Antonie Claassen and leading points scorer Julien Camanati, while the Scarlets are still reeling from the death of the father of their full back, Dan Newton.
Nigel Davies cancelled training for two days during the week to allow his players to comfort their colleague and come to terms with the accident. Roy Newton, 52, a junior coach at Whitland RFC, was knocked down and killed by a car near St Clears, west Wales on Tuesday. Hours later, Newton was told of the accident during training ahead of Sunday's clash with Brive.
“Everyone was shocked by the tragic news and feels terrible for Dan and his family. None of the coaches felt they could continue with training, so we sent everyone home to come to terms with what had happened. Roy was a great guy and well-respected member of the local rugby community.”
Understandably, Newton is not travelling to France for their quarter-final tie, but the memory of his father will go with the team. Wales Grand Slam centre Jonathan Davies will have Roy very much in mind having been coached by him at youth level at Whitland.
“Everyone is still raw and it's a huge loss. The best thing we can do for Dan and his father is to put in a performance they would be proud of,” said Davies.
On the pitch, the Scarlets will face a physical challenge from a team still cock-a-hoop at beating Toulon last weekend. The two teams have met three times in Europe before, with the Welsh region leading 2-1 to date.
All three previous meetings have been in the Heineken Cup, with their opening clash coming in the quarter-finals in 1997 when the home team ran out comfortable winners by 35-14 on their way to winning the title. Their more recent games were in the 2009/10 Pool stages, when the Scarlets won 24-12 at home and 20-17 in Brive.
The Scarlets did the double over Castres Olympique in their Pool, finishing behind unbeaten Munster, but ahead of Northampton Saints to clinch the runners-up spot that earned them a ticket into the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Brive went through their Amlin Challenge Cup Pool undefeated, scoring notable doubles over French rivals Agen and Sale Sharks. Their defensive displays on the road, especially at Sale, was superb and they will need to be at their strongest to keep at bay a Scarlets back line that contains the giant George North on the wing.
Stephen Jones starts at No 10 ahead of Rhys Priestland, who is on the bench, and he will be familiar with conditions in Brive having spent two seasons at ASM Clermont Auvergne. The Scarlets will look to move the ball at every opportunity and it will be down to former England outside half Shane Geraghty to dictate the home plans as both teams battle for a semi-final slot against the winners of London Wasp v Biarritz Olymique.
Le lauréat de la Amlin Cup 2012 sera donc français. La victoire de Brive sur les Scarlets de Llanelli offre un tableau entièrement bleu-blanc-rouge
Brive became the last side to book an Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final spot as they edged out the Scarlets on Sunday night.
The 1997 Heineken Cup Champions ran out 15-11 winners over their Welsh opponents to bring the curtain down on a wonderful weekend of European rugby.
A handful of penalties from centre Riaan Swanepoel ensured an all-French lineup for the last four, with Brive joining Stade Francais, Toulon and Biarritz Olympique in the race for glory later this month.
The Scarlets scored the game’s only try through full back Liam Williams but it wasn’t enough for them to repeat their away win against the same opponents back in 2010.
After a perfectly observed minute’s silence following the death of Scarlets squad member Dan Newton’s father earlier in the week, the visitors started the stronger of the two sides at the Stadium Amedee-Domenech.
Stephen Jones fired a fifth-minute penalty wide of the far post from seven metres in from the left touchline but that was as close as they got to opening the scoring.
Instead it was Brive who went in front with a quarter of an hour gone as Swanepoel hit the target following a Scarlets offence at scrum time right on the edge of their 22.
Swanepoel sent a second effort wide of the left post just three minutes later before Jones followed suit on 28 minutes by somehow missing a straightforward strike from directly in front of the posts and just 25 metres out.
The veteran Wales and Lions star made amends just moments later, though, as he leveled affairs from an even easier angle right on the half-hour mark.
England No8 Ben Morgan was the catalyst for the score, powering off the back of a five-metre scrum following a knock on from opposite number Petrus Hauman. Morgan was eventually wrapped up just short of the line but referee Wayne Barnes penalised Brive for failing to roll away in the tackle and Jones made it 3-3.
Brive were back in front on 36 minutes thanks to a wonderful strike from Swanepoel from just a couple of metres inside the Scarlets half. The South African cleared the bar with something to spare to hand the hosts a three-point advantage once again.
But it was the Scarlets who had the last say of the half as Jones tied things up once more a minute before the break. His fourth shot at goal was his toughest test to date but the 34-year-old made no mistake from wide on the right.
Swanepoel kicked Brive ahead again six minutes after the interval and a vocal French crowd thought they were about to go further in front two minutes later thanks to a break from hooker Virgil Lacombe. The Brive skipper powered through the middle of a ruck 30 metres out and looked set to link up with blindside flanker Vincent Forgues but Barnes pulled them back for accidental offside. Advantage was already being played for an earlier Scarlets knock on, though, and Swanepoel duly made it 12-6 after his forwards again made light work of their opponents at scrum time.
Scarlets boss Nigel Davies swapped former Wales No10 Jones for current incumbent Rhys Priestland before Brive playmaker Shane Geraghty saw yellow for a shoulder charge with 53 minutes played. The Scarlets made the most of the extra man just five minutes later as Williams again showed his clear potential by squeezing over in the right-hand corner despite the attentions of two Brive tacklers. Centre Ronnie Cook and full back Mathias Atayi thought they had stopped the youngster just short but Williams stretched out an arm for the game’s first, and only, try.
The Scarlets were made to wait for confirmation from the TMO – a decision which was greeted with howls of derision from the Brive faithful – with Priestland missing the conversion attempt that followed.
Brive them came within inches of a try themselves just before Geraghty rejoined the action as Andy Fenby’s attempt to keep Priestland’s 22-metre dropout in play following a fluffed penalty from Swanepoel almost cost the Welsh outfit dear.
Fenby’s knock forward fell straight into the arms of Sevanaia Galala, with the left wing combining with replacements Davit Khinchagishvili and Poutasi and Luafutu down the right touchline. Only desperate defence from the Scarlets cover kept their line intact as they drove the attack into their touch and goal before the ball could be grounded.
The Scarlets dominated the closing stages in central France but Swanepoel struck for a fifth time with just seconds remaining. The Scarlets duly won the restart that followed to keep their hopes alive but their European dream finally ended when they were pinged for holding on in the tackle as they searched for a match-winning score.
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