Scarlets coach Nigel Davies is refusing to write off his team's Heineken Cup hopes despite their 37-15 defeat to Stade Francais.
Scarlets boss retains hope of progressing from Pool Four
Scarlets coach Nigel Davies is refusing to write off his team's Heineken Cup hopes despite their 37-15 defeat to Stade Francais in Paris.
The Welsh outfit suffered their second consecutive Pool Four defeat, following on from their 29-22 home loss to Harlequins last weekend, as Stade ran in four second-half tries on Saturday.
It means the Scarlets now have just one point from their two outings and now face a real uphill struggle to progress from the group stages.
"It's not impossible," Davies stated defiantly when quizzed about his side's chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
"We have to win all our remaining matches and hope a couple of other results go our way.
"We are looking at it in three stages. The first stage is over now and the second stage, Ulster home and away, is going to be key for us.
"It won't just be about winning, the bonus points will be important as well."
The Scarlets were ahead midway through the first period courtesy of a splendid counter-attack try from wing Mark Jones, but could not deal with rampant Stade outfit after the break as Julien Saubade, Sergio Parisse (two) and Lionel Beauxis all touched down to secure a bonus point for the hosts.
Davies insisted, though, that his charges had more than matched their opponents for considerable spells of the match.
"The boys will be disappointed because they know that for large parts of the game, they acquitted themselves well," he added.
"There were just three moments that the opposition took advantage of.
"We have to be more clinical. The key is that when you are playing this level of opposition, mistakes will be punished."
McKenzie joy
Stade head coach Ewen McKenzie was delighted with his team's display in the second half - especially the fourth try which arrived in the final minute.
"We changed tactics after the break and played a more direct game, with the three tries coming immediately," he said.
"The Scarlets did not play badly. They are a good team and this was difficult. So to score that fourth try is fantastic for us."
