12 Jun 2019
This Friday marks the return of the European Champions Cup, with last year’s Guinness PRO14 winners, Scarlets, and table topping Bath kicking off the penultimate round of group fixtures in what looks set to be a mouth-watering affair.
With an away win under their belts against the Scarlets earlier in the competition, Bath will be keen to book their place in the next round with a win. They come up against a Scarlet side that has won just two of its four games in the competition. The Scarlets sit just a point behind leaders Bath thanks to bonus points in all four games.
Bath will take confidence from a 46-25 demolition of Worcester Warriors in the Aviva Premiership on the weekend which saw them run in no less than six tries. They look to build some momentum – that win came after a run of three successive defeats in the league.
In stark contrast, the Scarlets have momentum by the shed load of current, with five wins on the trot after negotiating a somewhat mediocre November and start to December. The low point was unquestionably being on the wrong end of a 40 point to nil score line against Aviva Premiership table toppers, the Exeter Chiefs.
Perhaps more impressively, the Scarlets have strung together these victories despite a somewhat injury hit Christmas and New Year period, to catapult them to the top of the Guinness Pro14 Conference B table.
With some key figures set to return they’ll look to do the same in pool five on Friday night, despite others such as Leigh Halfpenny and Johnny McNicholl facing late fitness tests.
One thing that is for sure, we expect a tight match-up that could go down to the wire if the pool’s previous match-ups between the leading trio of Bath, RC Toulon and Scarlets are anything to go by.
As mentioned, not only have the Scarlets achieved bonus points in both of their two losing games against the other two sides, but all five of the games between these sides have been decided by five points or less.
Bath edged it by five points last time around, and we think the Scarlets could steal a vital away win here. They’ll be buoyed by a demolition of their own last time out as they ran out 47-13 winners against the Dragons.
If they are to do so, European Champions Cup betting odds of 5/1 to win by five points or less look an absolute steal.
In this quest, scrum-half Jonathan Evans will be keen to celebrate this week’s contract extension with a dominant performance. However, we think it could be skipper Ken Owens that holds the key to success.
It was largely his fearsome efforts in open play last Friday that tore the Dragons apart, as he played a pivotal role in no less than three of the Scarlets’ seven tries. Add to that a powerful performance in the scrum and some nifty handiwork both in offloading the ball and forcing turnovers, and the captain could be in for another Friday night to remember.
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