By Paul Jones
Dwayne Peel is looking forward to his Scarlets team going to the home of their biggest rivals, the Ospreys in an all-Welsh showdown in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.
The match, scheduled for the weekend of 5 April, will see the two Welsh regions face off in a contest that promises to add another chapter to their history of fierce contests.
However, the Scarlets’ hopes of securing a home tie were dashed following Perpignan’s bonus-point win over Zebre on Sunday, which sealed Scarlets’ fate and ensured that the Ospreys would have home advantage for the fixture.
The Ospreys and Scarlets will meet just a week before, as the Scarlets are set to host the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on 29 March.
The Scarlets’ progression into the knockout stages was secured after a 38-28 victory over RC Vannes at home, despite a nervy second-half performance.
Confirmation following Sunday’s results that we will be playing our neighbours the @ospreys in the EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16
Date, kick-off time and venue to be announced
Cadarnhad byddwn yn chwarae’r Gweilch yn rownd yr 16 olaf yng Nghwpan Her Ewrop#ChallengeCupRugby pic.twitter.com/Qa0YxcZ8wE
— Scarlets Rugby (@scarlets_rugby) January 19, 2025
Peel, the Scarlets’ head coach, expressed a mixture of delight and frustration after the win, highlighting the team’s impressive first-half dominance but lamenting their inability to finish the job in the second period.
“We’ve got something to look forward to, knockout rugby, and it was the first real something we could chase this season so far, in terms of getting somewhere and we’ve done that,” said Peel.
Peel was clearly pleased with the overall achievement but could not ignore the second-half dip in performance:
“Obviously, I’m disappointed with the second half because we put ourselves in a really good position to put Vannes to the sword, but then let them back into it,” he said, reflecting on how his team allowed the French side to re-enter the contest.
“On the flip side of it, our goal was to qualify for the next round and we’ve done that.”
Jac Morgan vs Pau
Carries – 10
Metres carried – 17
Passes – 10Tackle success – 30/31
Dominant tackles – 5
Tackles per minute – 0.39
Turnovers won – 2Tries – 1
A defensive masterclass from Captain Jac. Double the tackles of Morse in 2nd. pic.twitter.com/H0Zu3JgYi1
— The Black Feather: An Ospreys Rugby Fancast (@BlckFeatherPod) January 19, 2025
The Challenge Cup encounter could be held at the Swansea.Com Stadium on a Sunday, though it is still possible that the match may be moved to a different location, such as Bridgend’s Brewery Field, on Saturday, depending on logistical considerations.
With Swansea City scheduled to face Derby County on the same weekend, and Bridgend playing Cardiff in their Super Rygbi Cymru game, some adjustments to the fixture dates are still being considered.
The Scarlets surged into a commanding 31-0 lead at half-time, with Josh Macleod leading the charge.
The Scarlets’ captain scored twice in the first half and was named man of the match for his inspiring performance.
First-half tries from Blair Murray, Gareth Davies, and Tom Rogers further compounded the French side’s struggles, as the Scarlets put on a display of precision and pressure that left RC Vannes with little response.
However, the second half was a different story. The Scarlets lost their intensity, allowing Vannes to mount a comeback.
Romaric Camou, Matthieu Uhila, Paul Surano, and Leon Boulier all crossed the line for the visitors, securing a try bonus point and showing the resilience of the French side.
Despite the pressure, the Scarlets held on, and Marnus van der Merwe scored a sixth try for the hosts to keep the advantage.
With a five-match home winning streak intact, the Scarlets finished Pool 3 with 11 points.
The Ospreys have bagged a home draw after staging a magnificent comeback in Pau to win 31-28.
Mark Jones’ side had already qualified for the next phase of the competition, which has its final at Principality Stadium in May, but their desire to give their fans a home tie in the knockout stage shone through in the second half.
Pau led through scores from Theo Attissogbe, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Eliott Roudil and a penalty try as the home scrum threatened to dominate.
But Jac Morgan and Morgan Morse inspired Ospreys who twice came from behind after the break to claim a significant victory.
Evardi Boshoff, Morgan, Dan Edwards and Luke Davies all crossed after Ryan Conbeer had touched down in the first-half.
“It’s great to secure a home knockout match in front of our fans. This was an incredibly tough match with both teams locked together for the majority and we had to stick together at a few pressure moments,” said Jones.
“You know you have to score plenty of tries to have a chance of winning in France and that’s an area we’re really trying to improve.”