That remains a fact even though they have lost all three matches they have played.
The tournament used to be a yardstick for consistent excellence and fierce competition.
Now, it’s a bloated mess of over-blown pools that offer second, third and fourth chances to teams that lose regularly.
That is not a criticism of the Scarlets. They don’t make the rules.
But like others in the tournament – such as Leicester and Gloucester – they are discovering it’s a competition where losing carries few consequences until the final weekend of the pool stages.
So it is, that the Scarlets – who have lost to Bordeaux Begles, Bristol and now Pau – can still somehow make the knockout stages with one match left to play.
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While qualification would require a rather unlikely bonus-point win at Northampton and a slip-up from Pau, finishing fifth would see Scarlets drop into the Challenge Cup last 16 and keep their European season alive.
It meant Peel insisted – quite rightly – that his team still have plenty to play for next weekend, despite admitting another contest slipped through their fingers following Saturday night’s dramatic 47-38 defeat to Pau at Parc y Scarlets.
The loss made it three defeats from three in Pool 4, yet two losing bonus points have kept the west Wales side firmly in the equation heading into the final round of fixtures.
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Peel was clear that, while the disappointment of the Pau defeat will linger, the focus now must shift to what remains achievable when Scarlets travel to Northampton Saints on Sunday.
“We have to move on and we still have something to chase,” said Peel.
The Scarlets looked in real trouble early on against Pau after conceding 19 unanswered points, but a spirited response saw them claw their way back into the contest.
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By half-time they had narrowed the gap to just two points and midway through the second half they had surged into a 38-26 lead, only for the French visitors to finish with a flourish and snatch a crucial victory.
“I am obviously disappointed, because when we look back I am sure we will be kicking ourselves at certain parts of the game,” Peel reflected.
“The start is an obvious one. I felt we were a bit nervous to start, we left a few points slip and to be fair they finished their tries brilliantly.
“After that, I was proud of the effort to stay in the fight and to go in at half-time just two points down showed a lot of courage and determination to get back into the game against a quality side.”
Peel felt there were encouraging signs in the Scarlets’ forward play, particularly at set-piece, which allowed them to build sustained pressure during their dominant spell after the interval.
“I thought our set-piece was functioning well, our maul went well and the forwards were giving us a good platform,” he said.
“We controlled a lot of that first 20-odd minutes of the second half, but at his level it is a game of moments.
“We dropped the ball over the line to go back into the lead, then there was a drop out, they get a scrum penalty and then they are on our line and score from it. That is the game, that is what you are up against at this level.”
The defeat leaves Scarlets fifth in Pool 4, ahead of the Bulls on points difference, with the South African side facing a tough away trip to Pau in the final round.
The Scarlets, meanwhile, head to Franklin’s Gardens, one of the most imposing venues in English rugby, to face Premiership leaders Northampton Saints.
Peel acknowledged the scale of the task but stressed that the opportunity to extend their European campaign remains very real.
“The Bulls have to travel to Pau and we go to Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday which is a brilliant place to play rugby. Saints are playing really good rugby, have a team full of quality so it is a big challenge, we have a big week ahead,” he said.
Despite the results not falling their way so far, Peel believes Scarlets’ performances in Europe have shown they belong at this level, having faced Bristol Bears, Bordeaux-Bègles and Pau in quick succession.
“We have played three quality teams in this competition and we have shown we can compete in it,” he added.
“Maybe the bounce of the ball may go our way or we might get a TMO decision that goes our way and that will change things, but until then we will keep working hard and moving forward.
“As I said, the result is disappointing, but I felt there were elements of our game that were more positive than the last two matches (against Ospreys and Dragons).”
