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A Louis Rees-Zammit try condemned the Scarlets to an agonising 17-16 defeat to Bristol Bears in the opening round of the Champions Cup in Llanelli.
Tries from Viliame Mata (twice) and Louis Rees-Zammit along with seven points from the boot of player of the match Sam Worsley was enough to get Bristol over the line in west Wales. Gareth Davies scored the Scarlets’ only try but they had a further two disallowed while Sam Costelow kicked seven points.
Dwayne Peel will be a frustrated man because the Scarlets had ample opportunities to win this game after overturning an early 12-point deficit but they couldn’t nail some key moments.
In the end a try from Wales star Rees-Zammit on 54 minutes proved to be the match winner.
Bristol started like a house on fire with Ellis Genge winning a scrum penalty. The visitors went to the corner with Benhard Janse van Rensburg getting over the gainline off the lineout before Mata hit a strong angle to score with Worsley adding the extras.
The Scarlets snapped into life with a wonderful cross-kick by Sam Costelow finding Ellis Mee in space. Mee raced into the Bristol 22 before another cross-kick by Costelow found Tom Rogers unmarked who touched down.
But the try was disallowed after the TMO spotted a knock-on in the build-up.
They were soon made to pay for a second time as Genge won yet another scrum penalty which Worsley drilled into the corner to give Bristol an attacking lineout.
The Bears went through the phases and eventually found Kalaveti Ravouvou out wide who burst through Rogers’ tackle before offloading to Mata for his second try.
But Scarlets came back strongly with Costelow nudging over a penalty from right in front of the posts.
The hosts suffered an injury setback with tighthead prop Archer Holz stretchered off with what looked like a nasty injury.
Bristol were then temporarily reduced to 14 men when Mata received a yellow card after his shoulder made contact with the head of Johnny Williams. It could and arguably should have been a red card but referee Gianluca Gnecchi deemed a yellow sufficient.
The Scarlets burst into life and after a period of sustained pressure former Wales scrum-half Davies sniped over from short-range with Costelow adding the extras.
Peel’s side had all the momentum and when Costelow sent No 8 Fletcher Anderson racing through the gap it ended up with Sam Lousi putting Jac Davies over at the corner.
But the Scarlets could not catch a break from the officials and for the second time in the first-half the TMO intervened and the try was disallowed for a forward pass from Costelow.
Bristol very nearly claimed a third try when the Scarlets bought Worsley’s dummy and a neat kick through but the hosts under a whole heap of pressure but Costelow did well to beat Ravouvou to the ball over the try line.
The Scarlets started the second-half well when a lovely offload from Eddie James sent Mee clear but he couldn’t quite finished.
Bristol thought they had scored when Ravouvou scored at the corner but the TMO intervened again only this time it was to save the Scarlets with the try disallowed due to a forward pass from Tom Jordan.
Peel’s side rallied and after Sam Lousi charged down Kieron Marmion’s box kick Bristol got penalised for sealing off allowing Costelow to put the Scarlets into the lead for the first time in the game.
Costelow smashed over another penalty but Anderson knocked on from the restart. Bristol powered forward off the back of the scrum. After a few powerful carries Rees-Zammit squeezed over out wide to put the visitors back into the lead.
There wasn’t a single score for the rest of the game as the Scarlets squandered a few opportunities to win the game.
Scarlets: J Davies; Rogers, James, J Williams, Mee; Costelow, G Davies; Mathias, Elias, Holz, Lousi, Ball, Douglas, Macleod (capt), Anderson.
Replacements: Van der Merwe, S O’Connor, H Thomas, Taylor, Davis, Blacker, Hawkins, J Roberts.
Bristol: Jordan, Rees-Zammit, Van Rensburg, J Williams, Ravouvou; Sam Worsley, Marmion; Ellis Genge, Oghre, Lahiff, Rubiolo, Batley, Grondona, Harding (capt), Mata.
Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Chawatama, Owen, Grondona, Wolstenholme, Boshoff, Carrington.
