HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINAL Scarlets (3) 10 Try: Jones Con: Jones Pen: Jones Biarritz (5) 27 Tries: Couzinet, Brusque (2), Bernat-Salles Cons: Yachvili (2) DG: Peyrelongue Att: 10,800

The French side were in total control after 60 minutes, with tries from lock David Couzinet and Nicolas Brusque.

Replacement Leigh Davies inspired a fightback and Stephen Jones' try put the home side within five points.

But a huge rolling maul from Biarritz gave the ball for Brusque to cut through for his second, decisive try.

Biarritz will travel to face the winners of Toulouse v Edinburgh in the semi-final in two weeks time.

The Scarlets had promised to come out firing in front of a sell-out Stradey Park, but it was the confident French who made all the early running.

After 20 minutes we started to play more through our forwards Biarritz coach Patrice Lagisquet More post-match reaction

Powered by a forceful, dynamic driving maul, and with Serge Betsen everywhere in a water-tight defence, Biarritz soon numbed the home crowd.

A wayward line-out throw from hooker Jean-Michel Gonzalez kept the Scarlets in the game and it remained scoreless on the half hour, but Biarritz drove to the Scarlets try line - and remained encamped there for the next 10 minutes.

A series of five-metre line-outs and scrums were somehow kept out, twice with the aid of the video referee, but finally Couzinet was able to blast through Jones for the opening try.

The Scarlets came straight back at the French line, where Jones put in a chip through only to be tripped by Dimitri Yachvili.

Betsen was everywhere in the roving Biarritz defence

Calls for a penalty try were dismissed, but referee Chris White sin binned Betsen for reckless use of the boot at a ruck and Jones notched the kick to make it 5-3 at the break.

The 14-man French dealt a killer blow at the start of the second period, wing Philippe Bidabe easily stepping past the midfield defence of prop John Davies, and Brusque taking advantage of quickly recycled ball to cross in the shadow of the posts.

They were using their driving mauls from every area of the field and we didn't know how to stop it Scarlets wing Garan Evans

The visitors' pack took an even firmer stranglehold on possession, and after more relentless driving play fly-half Julien Peyrelongue extended the lead with a 57th-minute drop goal.

But club captain Davies came off the bench for Matthew Watkins to give the Scarlets impetus in midfield, and a powerful thrust from him set up the Scarlets' try.

The ball was driven on to the Biarritz line, where Jones' strength was enough to take him over.

With the crowd revitalised the visitors were visibly rattled and mistakes began to creep into their game as the Scarlets mounted a series of furious assaults.

I think it will take a very special team to beat Biarritz and congratulations to them From Stephen Morgan Join the Scrum V debate

But the composed killer touch was lacking, and when the visitors got back into the Scarlets' half their forwards delivered front-foot ball which was spread classily across the back line.

It came to full-back Brusque who cut back on the angle for the decisive try under the posts.

Replacement wing Philippe Bernat-Salles rubbed salt into the wound with the final try deep into injury time.

Scarlets: B Davies; G Evans, M Taylor, M Watkins, S Finau; S Jones, D Peel; I Thomas, R McBryde, J Davies, V Cooper (capt), C Wyatt, D Jones, S Easterby, S Quinnell.

Replacements: J Thiel, A Gravelle, A Jones, D Hodges, M Phillips, G Bowen, L Davies.

Biarritz: N Brusque; P Bidabe, M Gaitan, J Isaac, J Marlu; J Peyrelongue, D Yachvili; P Balan, J-M Gonzalez, D Avril, H Manent, D Couzinet, S Betsen, O Tonita, T Lievremont (capt).

Replacements: J Campo, M Fitzgerald, S Puleoto, O Nauroy, D Chouchan, P Bernat-Salles, L Mazas.

Referee: Chris White (England).