The 2004–05 season was the second season in the history of the Llanelli Scarlets rugby union team. They competed in the Celtic League, in which they finished in fifth place, as well as the Celtic Cup and Heineken Cup. They reached the final of the Celtic Cup, losing 27–16 to Munster at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, but won just two matches in their Heineken Cup pool, finishing third behind Toulouse and Northampton Saints.
Celtic League Matches DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance3 September 2004BordersA26–15Tries: Finau, Wyatt, G. Thomas, EasterbyConversions: Bowen (3)2,00010 September 2004Neath–Swansea OspreysH6–23Penalties: A. Thomas (2)8,17317 September 2004Newport Gwent DragonsA0–155,18225 September 2004EdinburghH37–16Tries: Selley, Watkins, A. Thomas, Taylor, G. EvansConversions: A. Thomas (2), BowenPenalties: A. Thomas, Bowen7,6483 October 2004MunsterA13–19Tries: G. Evans, PhillipsPenalty: Bowen9,0009 October 2004ConnachtH21–29Tries: Peel, D. JonesConversions: BowenPenalties: Bowen (3)6,2817 November 2004Cardiff BluesA10–14Try: B. DaviesConversion: BowenPenalty: Bowen4,83214 November 2004LeinsterH24–22Tries: Watkins, Havili, B. DaviesConversions: Bowen (3)Penalty: Bowen4,20019 November 2004GlasgowA29–40Tries: B. Davies, Finau, Phillips, G. EvansConversions: Bowen (3)Penalty: Bowen1,75128 November 2004UlsterH22–9Try: JohnConversion: BowenPenalties: Bowen (5)5,33417 December 2004BordersH39–22Tries: Bowen, Havili (2), D. Jones, Selley, WatkinsConversions: Bowen (2), A. ThomasPenalty: Bowen4,12926 December 2004Neath–Swansea OspreysA7–28Try: MillsConversion: Bowen10,2801 January 2005Newport Gwent DragonsH35–26Tries: Watkins (2), Jones (2)Conversions: Bowen (3)Penalties: Bowen (3)6,37221 January 2005EdinburghA0–231,62829 January 2005MunsterH32–17Tries: Watkins, Powell, Havili, WyattConversions: Bowen (3)Penalties: Bowen (2)7,53018 February 2005ConnachtA18–11Tries: Phillips (2)Conversion: BowenPenalties: Bowen (2)1,66020 March 2005Cardiff BluesH25–13Tries: John, Powell, CooperConversions: Bowen (2)Penalties: Bowen (2)6,11625 March 2005LeinsterA25–31Try: SelleyConversion: BowenPenalties: Bowen (5)Drop goal: Bowen4,2009 April 2005GlasgowH30–57Tries: Havili (2), Selley, Wyatt, B. DaviesConversion: BowenPenalty: Bowen6,48015 April 2005UlsterA3–16Penalty: Bowen7,948
Table Pos.TeamPldWDLPFPAPDTFTATBPLBPPts3 Leinster201217455350+105463243574 Newport Gwent Dragons201109381436−55394342505 Llanelli Scarlets209011402446−44484273466 Glasgow Warriors208111465466−1405847457 Edinburgh209011409407+247404444
Celtic Cup DateRoundOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendance22 April 2005Quarter-finalsNewport Gwent DragonsA49–19Tries: Selley (3), Havili (2), G. EvansConversions: C. Thomas (5)Penalties: C. Thomas (2), B. Davies3,12029 April 2005Semi-finalsNeath–Swansea OspreysH23–15Tries: J. Davies, G. QuinnellConversions: C. Thomas (2)Penalties: C. Thomas (2), B. Davies8,2666 May 2005FinalMunsterN16–27Try: Phillips 34' cConversion: C. ThomasPenalties: C. Thomas (3) 12', 42', 59'11,500
Heineken Cup Pool stage The Scarlets were drawn into Pool 3 for the 2004–05 Heineken Cup. For the second season in a row, they were paired with Northampton Saints, along with Toulouse from France and Glasgow from Scotland. They began the pool stage on 22 October with a narrow 9–6 defeat at home to Toulouse, a game they should have won thanks to two missed try-scoring opportunities. The following week they faced Northampton, whom they had beaten twice the previous season, but this time they managed just a penalty as Northampton recorded a 25–3 win.
In December, the Scarlets recorded their first wins, home and away against Glasgow. In the away leg on 5 December, the Scarlets claimed the bonus point before half-time thanks to tries from Gavin Thomas, Matthew Watkins (2) and Garan Evans, and held off a comeback by Glasgow to claim a 29–26 win. Another bonus-point victory at Stradey Park the following week, thanks to braces from Aisea Havili, Tal Selley and another try from Vernon Cooper, kept the Scarlets in with a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
That chance was extinguished when European rugby resumed in January 2005, as a last-minute try from World Cup-winning England hooker Steve Thompson gave Northampton a 22–20 win. Although the Scarlets could finish second in their pool with victory over Toulouse the following week, their points total would not be enough to be one of the two best runners-up. Although the Scarlets scored five tries against Toulouse, including a double from Chris Wyatt, the French side scored eight of their own to win 53–36, confirming a third-place finish for the Scarlets.
DateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendancePoolposition22 October 2004ToulouseH6–9Penalties: A. Thomas (2)7,8673rd30 October 2004Northampton SaintsA3–25Penalty: A. Thomas11,9393rd5 December 2004GlasgowA29–26Tries: G. Thomas, Watkins (2), G. EvansConversions: Bowen (3)Penalty: Bowen2,2813rd12 December 2004GlasgowH38–22Tries: Havili (2), Selley (2), CooperConversions: Watkins, BowenPenalties: Bowen (3)4,5003rd9 January 2005Northampton SaintsH20–22Try: G. ThomasPenalties: Bowen (5)7,1973rd14 January 2005ToulouseA36–53Tries: Wyatt (2), J. Davies, Powell, SelleyConversions: Bowen (4)Penalty: Bowen16,9003rd
TeamPWDLTFTATDPFPAPDTBPLBPPts Toulouse (2)650121912181104+773124 Northampton Saints (7)65011174128101+271021 Llanelli Scarlets62041517−2132157−253213 Glasgow60061125−14107186−79022
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