The Llanelli side were unbackable favourites on their home turf, but the gritty Connacht side shattered the 5,000-strong crowd’s hopes as fullback Mark McHugh scored all 14 points. Home fly-half Gareth Bowen had two shots at goal in the final minutes, as well as a dropped goal attempt, but all went wide and Connacht secured a Celtic Cup semi-final spot.

‘We wanted this one,’ McHugh said after the final whistle. ‘We knew we had a chance after our win away at Glasgow, and so it proved.

‘Gareth could have won it for Llanelli at the end and I feel sorry for him …but not too sorry!’

The Scarlets opened the scoring in the 12th minute when a beautiful skip pass from Matthew Watkins found winger Salesi Finau, and the Tongan pushed off Matt Mostyn to score in the corner for his first try of the season.

Visiting fullback Mark McHugh levelled the scores after the Irish side’s backrowers made excellent ground up the middle, with Scottish referee Greg Davis ignoring a pass that was line-ball at best and signalling the try.

Connacht prop Ray Hogan looked to have barged his way over to give his side a
shock halftime lead, but Davis ruled that he had been held up, much to the bemusement of the Irish side, and the sides went into the break at five points apiece.

Bowen had the chance to give his side the lead against the run of play, but his penalty attempt was left of the uprights for one of the first times this season. His humour didn’t improve when his clearing kick was charged down, and only some classy defensive play from skipper Leigh Davies kept the Irish side out.

The home side finally edged ahead in the 52nd minute when Connacht winger Conor McPhillips was sin-binned for taking out Watkins without the ball, and scrum-half Dale Burn scored from the ensuing close-range lineout.

McHugh added three penalty goals to take a two-point lead, and visiting fans were left to rejoice as Bowen’s three injury-time attempts at goal all went wide.

Speaking after the win over the Scarlets, a delighted John Fallon said: ‘That victory was up there with our best achievements.

‘It has also broken the hoodoo of being in four quarter-finals and losing the lot.

‘We have now won four out of five games this season, three of them away from home. We knew it was going to take something special to beat the Scarlets, but we have faith in our ability to win tight games.’