Scarlets secure Euro spot
Lee Williams scored two tries as the Scarlets secured a Heineken Cup spot for next season at Cardiff.
Last Updated: 13/05/09 10:48pm
Lee Williams scored two tries as the Scarlets secured a Heineken Cup spot for next season with a 30-9 triumph away against the Cardiff Blues on Wednesday night.
The 22-year-old scrum-half, selected to play on the left wing, had never scored in the Magners League but in the end proved the difference between the sides.
The result condemns the Blues to their first home defeat of 2009 and also confirms the Newport Gwent Dragons as the lowest placed Welsh side.
It also frees five of the Scarlets to travel with Wales on tour to North America, while the four Dragons chosen must miss out to help their region in a European qualifying play-off in Italy.
Impact
The hosts showed a willingness to throw the ball about early, but only had two Ben Blair penalties to show for all of their attacking intent.
When the Scarlets began to fight back, though, they were rewarded with two Rhys Priestland penalties either side of a first try for Wales' World Cup-winning Sevens star Williams, who managed to get the ball down before the covering Richie Rees dragged him in to touch-in-goal.
Stand-in Blues skipper Robin Sowden-Taylor was yellow-carded late in the first-half and he was still absent when young Williams side-stepped his way through the first line of defence before racing 50 yards and sending lock Dominic Day in at the flag.
The Blues sent on big kicking replacement Nicky Robinson to play the same territorial game and they cut the deficit with another Blair penalty.
The Scarlets also introduced British and Irish Lions stars, fly-half Stephen Jones and hooker Matthew Rees, as they tried to extend their lead, but it was two of the youngsters who created the killer try.
A thunderous tackle on Ceri Sweeney by centre Jonathan Davies saw the ball spill loose and Williams hared down the field to score under the posts.
When Darren Daniel clinched a bonus point with a breakaway try in injury time, the Scarlets' celebrations could began in earnest.
