Scarlets head coach Nigel Davies accepts his side was outclassed in their Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat by Toulon.
Scarlets boss pays tribute to 'outstanding' Toulon
Scarlets head coach Nigel Davies accepts his side was outclassed in their Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat by Toulon on Saturday.
Aided by 14 points from the boot of Jonny Wilkinson, the French club brushed aside the Welsh outfit 38-12 at the Stade Felix-Mayol to cruise into the last four of the competition.
Davies admitted that Scarlets had been made to pay for too many errors by a Toulon side he described as 'outstanding'.
"There were a couple of key moments that we got wrong and they got right," he said. "But we were second best by a long way.
"Toulon are an outstanding side and put us under pressure for a lot of that match and you can't give away the penalties that we did when you have a kicker like Jonny Wilkinson against you."
Massive
But the former Wales centre said his young side would learn from the defeat and that eyes would now be fixed firmly on the league and Heineken Cup qualification.
"It was always going to be a tough ask for us coming here, we knew that, but I don't think we did ourselves justice out there.
"We are a young team and we have to learn from this experience. We have three massive league games left to try and qualify for next season's Heineken Cup and we can't hide from that. We have to pick ourselves up for next week."
Toulon coach Philippe Saint-Andre paid tribute to Scarlets but said he felt that his side, currently sitting second in the French Top 14, were 'building something special' in the south of France.
Dangerous
"We made a lot of mistakes and gave away too many penalties," said the former Sale Sharks boss. "But we ran in five tries, and deserved the victory.
"The Scarlets are a great footballing side, with dangerous backs, but the Magners League is a lot different to the French championship.
"It is a lot looser and I thought we were good physically and at the contact area.
"This is a good competition, not as consistent as the Heineken Cup, but I remember we won it when I was at Sale and it is good for stepping up to the Heineken.
"We have not lost here at Mayol for a long time, when we win we are happy and the town is happy.
"People say we are bringing in players from all over the world, but we are a team here, not individuals and I think we are building something special here."
