Leicester Tigers 33, Llanelli 17:Leicester found their running shoes at a ground where they had previously not managed to break out of walking pace and in so doing reached not just their third Heineken European Cup final this decade. They also achieved a unique quadruple for an English club by recording victories over all four Welsh regions in the same season.
There has been considerable debate in recent months about the respective merits of the Guinness Premiership and the Magners Celtic League and, while the lack of relegation in the latter dilutes inhibition, the intensity of the former means English clubs have an essential advantage in the knock-out stages of cross-border competitions.
The Scarlets had reached the last four without losing a match, having played in Europe with a far greater intensity than they had achieved in the Celtic League, but their failure to match Leicester physically neutralised their advantages in pace and handling and they were remorselessly and systematically ground down by a side that, though not the most attractive to the eye, is probably the most resourceful in Europe.
The Tigers dealt with the threat of the Scarlets centre Regan King, the man of the tournament until Saturday, by double marking him, preventing quick off-loads, and the two occasions the New Zealander found himself in space resulted in tries for the Welsh region.
On the first occasion his fellow Kiwi, Daryl Gibson, committed himself to a ruck and was missing from the midfield when the Scarlets moved the ball wide, then later King dummied into space and started the move that ended with Matthew Rees scoring in the corner to give his side the lead for the first time 11 minutes into the second half.
What was most impressive about Leicester was their capacity to think on their feet and react, seamlessly overcoming the loss of the injured Gibson at half-time. The Scarlets initially dominated the breakdown, forcing turnovers by scragging the player acting as scrum-half and helping themselves to the loose ball, and it was how the Tigers reacted to a tactic rarely seen in the Premiership that settled the outcome.
Having struggled in the opening 25 minutes, even though they led 9-3, Leicester resorted to pick-and-go tactics, driving into the heart of the Scarlets defence and inflicting body blows that proved telling in the final quarter when the Scarlets, six points down, were unable to raise their game.
It was a day that was going to prove third time lucky for one side or the other: Leicester had lost their previous two European Cup matches here while the Scarlets, in their previous guise as Llanelli, narrowly failed in two semi-finals at the start of the decade. Nerves not surprisingly addled the opening period but once Leicester sorted out their problems at the breakdown Andy Goode dictated the game from outhalf.
Goode has had an average season, being left out by Leicester several times: he played only half their European Cup group matches.
"At our debrief before the game in front of the other players I told Andy that our hopes rested on his shoulders and that he had to rise to the occasion," said the Leicester head coach, Pat Howard. "At his best Andy is a world-class player but, while he has had some very good games this season, he has also been very poor and I deliberately put pressure on him."
Goode, who was blamed for last season's quarter-final defeat here against Bath when he ignored a two-man overlap five yards out in the dying seconds, responded with 23 points, a haul that included his side's first try when he dummied through weak tackles by Gavin Thomas and Rees. Then, four minutes after the Scarlets had taken the lead, he chipped behind the defensive screen into space for Shane Jennings to pick up and wrong foot the covering King.
If Goode was good, his backrow was dominant while Alex Moreno, only in because of injuries, wrecked the Scarlets' platform up front. The region, who had won in Toulouse and famously beaten the champions, Munster, lacked options on the bench and ran out of ideas long before the end, mangled by the Leicester machine in what was, as it were, a Magners-Premiership debate decider.
LEICESTER:G Murphy; Varndell, Hipkiss, Gibson, Alesana Tuilagi; Goode, Ellis; Moreno, Chuter, White; L Deacon, Kay; Moody, Jennings, Corry (capt). Replacements: Vesty for Gibson (half-time), Cullen for Kay (64 mins), Holford for Moreno (68 mins), Rabeni for Varndell (72 mins), B Deacon for Jennings (80 mins).
SCARLETS:Davies; James, King, Evans, M Jones; S Jones, Peel; I Thomas, Rees, Manu; Cooper, MacLeod; Easterby (capt), G Thomas, Popham. Replacements: Afeaki for Cooper, N Thomas for Popham (both 76 mins).
Referee:A Rolland (Ireland).
