HEINEKEN CUP POOL FOUR Agen (19) 22 Try: Stolz Con: Miquel Pens: Miquel (4) Drop-goal: Miquel Scarlets (3) 15 Pens: S Jones (5) Att: 7,000

Agen's first-half display, which yielded the game's only try and 14 points from the boot of fly-half Jerome Miquel, proved decisive.

The visitors dominated the second half as Stephen Jones chipped away at Agen's lead with a faultless kicking display.

And they should have crossed for at least one try, but poor handling in the atrocious conditions proved to be their downfall.

Despite the defeat, Scarlets move level on points with Pool Four leaders Northampton after securing a bonus point for finishing within seven points of Agen.

It was Agen who adapted best to wet and windy conditions but their attacks were increasingly thwarted by a combination of poor handling and determined Scarlets defence.

We are obviously disappointed with the defeat as we felt we could win this game and we view it as a missed opportunity Llanelli director of rugby Gareth Jenkins

The visitors, playing into a stiff breeze, seemed content to play in the opposition's half as they kicked for position at almost every opportunity.

That tactic began to pay dividends as the half progressed with Agen's inability in the lineouts coming to the fore.

And as half-time approached, the Welshmen would have been relatively happy to trail by only nine points behind at 12-3.

But five minutes before the break, Agen pulled clear when Conrad Stolz collected his own chip kick to dive over for a try.

There was a suspicion of a forward pass in the build-up, but the burly South African centre played on and had plenty of pace to beat Jones to the loose ball on the try-line.

Fly-half Jerome Miquel, who had already kicked a drop goal and three penalties, added the conversion.

The breeze increased in the second half and Jones soon made full use of it to add to his previous penalty with a long-range effort.

We know Llanelli are a very strong team and I think this opens up the group once again Agen manager Philippe Faur

The Scarlets finally began to keep the ball in hand, and a typical Scott Quinnell burst brought another penalty which Jones dispatched to build some early momentum.

Dwayne Peel then wasted a glorious try-scoring opportunity when he knocked on a few metres from the Agen try-line after charging down Miquel's attempted clearance.

Conditions worsened as driving rain swept across the Stade Armandie, and so Peel could be forgiven for failing to collect the slippery ball.

But Agen, in their debut season in the Heineken Cup, were struggling and another offence in their own territory was punished by Jones' fourth penalty.

The Scarlets should have drawn level on the hour mark when Quinnell burst past two Agen tacklers but his inside pass went behind Matthew Watkins some seven metres out.

By this stage, the Scarlets were camped in the Agen 22 and Jones continued to close the gap with his fifth penalty.

But Agen held firm and secured the win with another Miquel penalty two minutes from time to keep the pool wide open.

Agen: S Bonetti; C Coro, L Lafforgue, C Stolz, M Dourthe; J Miquel, M Barrau; J Crenca (capt), N Curnier, O Hasan, M Kahla, J Parent, M Lievremont, P Benetton, S Socol.
Replacements: P Piacentini, P Blanco, C Califano, O Sverzut, E Bertrand, F Tandonnet, S Mirande.

Scarlets: B Davies; G Evans, M Taylor, M Watkins, S Finau; S Jones, D Peel; I Thomas, R McBryde, J Davies, V Cooper (capt), A Jones, D Jones, S Easterby, S Quinnell.
Replacements: P John, A Gravelle, C Wyatt, D Hodges, M Phillips, G Bowen, M Jones.

Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England).