Scarlets coach delighted

Nigel Davies hailed his Scarlets side after they claimed a Amlin Challenge Cup spot with a 16-13 win in Castres.

Scarlets finish runners-up in Heineken Cup Pool 1

Nigel Davies hailed his injury-hit Scarlets side after they claimed an Amlin Challenge Cup spot with a gritty 16-13 win in Castres. With Northampton losing in Milton Keynes to Munster, the win sees the Scarlets finish runners-up in Heineken Cup Pool 1 and moves them into the knockout stages of the second tier tournament. "It is a fantastic result for us," said Davies. "We had over 20 players at home and the boys came over here and produced a great performance against a side who were third in the Top 14 and pretty full on. "We are delighted, it puts us in a play-off tie which is where we want to be, but there is also a sense of 'what if'. "We were so close to doing something special this year in the Heineken, but at least now we have a chance to do it in the Amlin." Davies added: "We did miss a few opportunities again, which has probably been the story of the Heineken Cup for us and the difference between us not qualifying. "But there is a huge amount of endeavour and quality coming through and to come here and beat Castres will do us a fantastic amount of good." The only negative for the Scarlets was a knee injury to Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland, who limped off in the second half. "We will have to wait and see," was Davies's response when asked about the extent of the injury. "Hopefully it is not too serious."