Scott Williams insists his Scarlets team have given themselves an outside chance of making the knockout stages of the European Champions Cup.
The Wales centre scored the only try of the match before the region clung on to beat three-times champions Toulon, 22-21 on Sunday.
It means the Scarlets could still make the quarter-finals if they beat current Cup holders Saracens and then Sale in their remaining matches – provided other results went in their favour. Most likely, they would need Sale, currently bottom of Pool Three, to beat Toulon and then the French club to win at Sarries in the final two rounds.
Williams said: “We are still in with a sniff. We knew we had to win to give us any chance and we are looking forward to the fight and looking forward to the games in January.
“We were steamrolled for 20 minutes in France last week. But we played with a higher tempo this time.”
Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said: “We did everything we wanted to do in the first half, we created scoring opportunities, scored one try and blew another when Gareth Davies couldn’t hold onto the pass. We ran them around and I thought they (Toulon) were blowing a bit.
“We knew at half-time they would come very direct and they didn’t let us down. To keep Toulon tryless is a credit to the work the boys have done during the week on their first-up tackles. That was very pleasing.
“The boys will enjoy this. We don’t get opportunities to play a side like Toulon, with their experience and history, too often.
“I am just glad for them that they got something out of it. It would have been pretty cruel if we had lost it at the death.”
Toulon first-team coach Mike Ford was left to rue a lacklustre start to the round four clash, but insisted his side can still make the knock-out stages with victories over Sale and Saracens in the New Year.
“We have got to look at how we start in away games,” he said.
“It needed a few things to be said at half-time. We were in control in the second half, but we were disappointed with the number of times we were in their red zone and didn’t execute.
“I thought we were well prepared before the game, we had trained really well. The last 48 hours of the week is where the players get themselves right on the edge, when you play away from home you have to raise the intensity levels even more.
“We failed to do that and it is something we have to look at, but credit to the Scarlets, it was a real gritty performance from them.
“We are not out of this competition,” added Ford.
“We have 10 points and we have two games left to play. It looks like we are going to have to go to Saracens and win.”
On Leigh Halfpenny’s late penalty kick miss, Ford added: “You feel for Leigh because he’s won us many games. He’s a world-class goal-kicker.
He’s gutted in the changing room.”
