**For this week’s Throwback Thursday we wind the clocks back to 2016 and a thriller of a Welsh derby which had major ramifications in the race for Guinness PRO12 play-off places.** The Scarlets came into this home clash with Cardiff Blues well-placed to make the top four with a six-point buffer over Glasgow Warriors and Ulster, albeit with the former having a game in hand. That followed an impressive win away to the Ospreys the previous week, but Wayne Pivac’s side eventually missed out on the semi-finals, with this home defeat to the Blues proving particularly costly. The final score of 28-22 tells only part of the story of an entertaining encounter. And despite a nervy finish, it was a match that the Blues deservedly won, outscoring their hosts three tries to one. With a trio of openside flankers in the back row – Sam Warburton, Ellis Jenkins and Josh Navidi – the Blues were able to dominate the breakdown, while the dual playmakers Gareth Anscombe and Rhys Patchell, organised a devastating display of running rugby. Rey Lee-Lo was particularly prominent in the first half, with a couple of searing breaks helping set up field position. In the end it was Lloyd Williams, with a clever snipe between two front five forwards, who went over for the first Blues try. Lee-Lo was again heavily involved for the second try, bringing winger Dan Fish into play with a clever grubber on the right, before putting in the wide pass to Tom James on the left a couple of phases later. Despite some indiscipline, the Blues led 18-9 at the break. By the hour-mark, two further Dan Jones penalties had cut the deficit to six points at 21-15. But it was then that the Blues struck the decisive blow. James slipped out of a tackle and raced clear on the right. He had Anscombe on his shoulder and after passing inside to his fly-half, the Wales international did the rest. He threw a perfect dummy to leave DTH van der Merwe grasping at air and dived over. At 28-15 the game was almost up, but a John Barclay try off the back of a scrum got the Scarlets back to within six with ten minutes to go. Blues also lost Josh Turnbull to the sin-bin, but were able to hold on to complete the double over their regional rivals for the first time in six years. The Scarlets went on to lose at home to Glasgow Warriors in the next round, and eventually finished fifth in the table. Pivac’s men did not have to wait long for Guinness PRO12 success though, winning the title the following season. Danny Wilson’s Blues finished seventh, meanwhile, despite having the second best attack in the entire competition with only the Warriors scoring more tries or points. **COVID-19: PLAY YOUR PART** · Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds at a time · Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth · Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue and immediately bin the tissue · Keep surfaces clean · Reduce social interactions · Keep a distance of 2 metres between themselves and other people · Stay at home if possible **For the latest advice from your area see below:** UK: [Click here](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance) Ireland: [Click here](https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html) Italy: [Click here](http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nuovocoronavirus/dettaglioContenutiNuovoCoronavirus.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=5351&area=nuovoCoronavirus&menu=vuoto) South Africa: [Click here](https://sacoronavirus.co.za/)
