Heineken Cup Pool 4: Scarlets let slip 23-10 lead against Racing Metro

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Nothing could separate Scarlets and Racing Metro with the game finishing 26-26.

Fly-halves Rhys Priestland and Jonny Sexton kicked 16 points apiece while both teams crossed twice during a see-saw encounter that saw the visitors have two players sin-binned.

Racing led 10-0 in the early stages only to be pegged back by the hosts, who scored 20 points without reply to hold a commanding lead at the break.

Scarlets - who had stunned Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop a week ago - moved further clear with a Priestland penalty, but were unable to hold off a superb rally from their Top 14 opponents.

Ruled out

Racing thought they had won it at the death when Wenceslas Lauret had appeared to score his second try of the game, only for his 81st-minute effort to be ruled out by the TMO for a knock-on.

There was no issue over his first score of the game, the openside flanker pouncing after Scarlets made a mess of a scrum on their own five-metre line.

Sexton converted and then added a penalty after prop Phil John was caught tackling a man without the ball and at that stage the French club appeared to be in control.

However Scarlets slowly fought their way back into the game; Priestland got them on the scoreboard with his first penalty of the evening in the 19th minute, though he had already missed two opportunities off the tee.

Soon after they broke clear down the right and good work by Jonathan Davies and Nic Reynolds set up a simple run-in underneath the posts for centre Scott Williams.

Racing's cause was not helped by yellow cards for skipper Dimitri Szarzewski and replacement centre Fabrice Estebanez, and their rivals took full advantage of their numerical supremacy.

Punch

Priestland kicked a penalty and after Estabenez had been spotted throwing a punch at Scott Williams by the TMO, Rhodri Williams darted over with a typical scrum-half score off lineout ball.

The conversion was added and a further three points from Priestland made it 23-10 to the hosts.

Racing, though, began to claw their way back once back to their full compliment. Sexton kicked his second penalty before also converting a try from number eight Masi Matadigo.

A pair of penalties from the British and Irish Lions fly-half sandwiched an effort from Priestland, meaning with 10 minutes to go the game was all square again.

Sexton the target with a 73rd minute effort at the uprights and there was still further drama right at the death, with the number 10 knocking on himself to rule out Lauret's late try.