Bristol Bears' victory over Scarlets in the Champions Cup opener was a nail-biting affair that saw Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit's late try prove the difference between the two teams. The British side, who were boosted by a pre-match training session in which they moved the ball 10 metres out from their own line, took an early lead through Viliame Mata's second try.
However, Scarlets, led by Gareth Davies' crucial snipe, kept the visitors in touch at 12-16. In the second half, Sam Costelow kicked a penalty for Scarlets to put them ahead, but Bristol held on to win 17-16 after Rees-Zammit crossed in the corner.
Scarlets will be left frustrated with their loss, as they failed to capitalize on missed opportunities and were undone by mistakes from Mata. The Fijian number eight was booed off the pitch after being given a yellow card for a high tackle on Ryan Elias, which allowed Bristol to gain possession and clear the danger.
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam praised his team's fight and resilience, saying that they had "earned everything" in their victory. Meanwhile, Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel lamented a series of missed chances and vowed to regroup for their next match against Bordeaux Begles, who are looking to defend their Champions Cup title.
Bristol will look to build on this win when they host Pau in France on Sunday, while Scarlets travel to the south of France to face the reigning champions. The stage is set for a thrilling encounter between two teams seeking to establish themselves as serious contenders in European rugby.
However, Scarlets, led by Gareth Davies' crucial snipe, kept the visitors in touch at 12-16. In the second half, Sam Costelow kicked a penalty for Scarlets to put them ahead, but Bristol held on to win 17-16 after Rees-Zammit crossed in the corner.
Scarlets will be left frustrated with their loss, as they failed to capitalize on missed opportunities and were undone by mistakes from Mata. The Fijian number eight was booed off the pitch after being given a yellow card for a high tackle on Ryan Elias, which allowed Bristol to gain possession and clear the danger.
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam praised his team's fight and resilience, saying that they had "earned everything" in their victory. Meanwhile, Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel lamented a series of missed chances and vowed to regroup for their next match against Bordeaux Begles, who are looking to defend their Champions Cup title.
Bristol will look to build on this win when they host Pau in France on Sunday, while Scarlets travel to the south of France to face the reigning champions. The stage is set for a thrilling encounter between two teams seeking to establish themselves as serious contenders in European rugby.
! Bristol definitely played some smart footwork in that pre-match training session, and it really paid off. Scarlets were putting on the pressure, but those mistakes from Mata are what ultimately gave Bristol the edge. I feel bad for Rees-Zammit though, got to be heartbreaking to score just when the game was about to slip away 
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gotta respect their fight though, lam's words r spot on 
they earned every win. scarlets need to get it together ASAP or they'll be left in the dust 
that pau game wud b interesting tho 
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, and their scrum-half Sam Costelow kicked that penalty like a pro.
That was some harsh treatment right there. He's just trying to play his game, ya know?
. These European rugby games are always so unpredictable!
... I mean, what a game! Bristol Bears totally deserved that win, they played so much better when Viliame Mata was off the pitch 
. But Scarlets just couldn't capitalize on their chances and it's all on Gareth Davies now 
. I'm loving this Champions Cup, it's getting intense already 
! Bristol's gonna be tough to beat next week vs Pau, fingers crossed for a win 
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I mean, I get it, high tackles are bad, but it seemed like the ref was being kinda harsh, you know? 
And what's with all those missed chances by Scarlets? They had some golden opportunities to score and they just couldn't capitalize. 
Was it something specific he said or did, or was it just their usual teamwork and strategy that worked out in the end?
This Champions Cup is shaping up to be EPIC! 
. It's clear that neither team is going to go quietly into the night, and that's what makes this upcoming match against Pau so exciting! Bristol's gonna have to keep up their momentum if they want to take down a team with some serious European experience.
. They still have that Bordeaux Begles rematch coming up, and a win there would really put them back in the mix. So we'll just have to wait and see how they bounce back from this loss... 
i also wanna know more about pat lam and dwayne peel tho, who r they and what's their story? 
! Dwayne Peel needs to get his team back on track ASAP 
. Bring it on for the rematch against Bordeaux Begles 
pat lam is a genius coach btw bristol definitely deserved that win 
. It's tough to watch when your team is on the edge of a win and then it slips away. But that's just part of the game, right? The thing that really got me was Pat Lam's quote about his team earning everything – what does that even mean? Are they saying that all their hard work and dedication were worth it, no matter how slim their victory margin is? It makes you wonder if there's more to life than just winning or losing 
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. And don't even get me started on that yellow card for Mata... what a silly mistake 
. I mean, I guess Pat Lam is right that Bristol earned this one, but it felt like a bit of luck rather than actual skill 
On the other hand, I feel bad for Scarlets because they had some great chances that slipped away from them... Gareth Davies' snipe was a total game-changer though