Scarlets progress despite defeat

Hendre Fourie celebrated his home debut with a try

England flanker Hendre Fourie scored a try on his home debut to give Sale a 19-14 LV= Cup victory over Scarlets at Edgeley Park.

Scarlets' bonus point however, coupled with defeats for their pool rivals Gloucester and Newcastle, guaranteed their passage into the last four.

But, after being on the back foot for most of the match, the Welsh outfit will need to improve on their performance in the semi-finals.

Sale fly-half Nick Macleod kicked 14 points against his compatriots, while Fourie had an outstanding game on his first home game since moving rom Leeds in the summer.

Scarlets went into the match knowing destiny was in their own hands after winning their first three games in the competition.

They also had the benefit of including Stephen Jones, Liam Williams, Aaron Shingler, Lou Reed and Rhodri Jones on the bench following their release from Wales duty.

Pressure

But it was the home team, who had lost their previous three games in the competition, who made the brighter start and were rewarded with the game's opening try in the ninth minute.

Sale's pack mauled their way towards the line from the lineout after Macleod kicked a penalty to touch and Fourie bundled over to grab the five points.

Fly-half Macleod added the extras but, following a mistake by Dwayne Peel inside the Sale 22, Scarlets won a penalty and Dan Newton opened his account with a 16th-minute goal

Newton added a second 11 minutes later, following more pressure from Nigel Davies' before the visitors took the lead just before the break.

A quick tap penalty caught the Sale defence cold and Scarlets took full advantage, moving the ball quickly via winger Andy Fenby out to Peter Edwards, who powered over from close range.

Newton was unlucky to miss the resulting conversion from a tight angle near the right touchline, his kick coming back off the posts to leave the game tantalisingly poised at 11-7.

Frustration

The Sharks started the half brightly again and, despite missing one penalty, Macleod nailed the second from closer range to reduce the deficit to a single point.

The Welsh fly-half, together with Fourie, were proving hugely influential in affairs and the latter seemed to be letting out several months of frustration at injury setbacks.

Macleod made it 16-11 just after the hour mark with two further penalties and Scarlets were off-target with a kickable penalty soon after,

Stephen Jones however, on as a replacement, did manage to reduce the deficit with 10 minutes remaining to set up a tense finale..

The game remained in the balance right until the final stages until another MacLeod penalty secured the victory for Sale, although it was the Scarlets who progressed.