An early Jon Davies try had seen Easterby’s troops race into a 13-6 lead at the Stade Marcel Michelin in central France but Stoddart’s dismissal for two yellow cards left them with a mountain to climb.
The scores were level at 13 points apiece when the Wales wing saw red and last season’s beaten Heineken Cup semi-finalists made the most of their extra man in the second period as they finished 49-16 winners.
“We came with a good game plan and it was going well for 30 minutes, but the sending off changed everything,” said Easterby.
“The red card is harsh to say the least. I didn’t see the first sin-bin, but the second, if Morgan didn’t roll away should it have been a penalty try?
“Certain things were going our way, we were sticking to our plan but they scored a soft try with virtually their first attack of the second half.
“We didn’t get the defence right on Morgan’s wing and they scored three tries.”
The Scarlets have no time to lick their wounds, however, as they face an equally daunting and difficult challenge this weekend.
Reigning European Champions Leinster bring their quest for a third successive continental crown to Llanelli as the Scarlets look to bounce back and keep their hopes of quarter-final qualification alive.
The Scarlets will take plenty of confidence from their first-half showing in Clermont and from their seven-try thumping of Leinster in the opening game of the PRO12 campaign, but Easterby admits Saturday is now a vital fixture.
“Next week is a must win game. If you lose your first in Europe, you have to win your second,” added Easterby.
“We will take a lot from this game. We took a bit of a beating which will be tough to take. The players to a man are bitterly disappointed, but this group is still very much alive and we are very much alive in it.”
