But due to the current Covid-19 pandemic the game will have to be played at a later date if at all. The Scarlets have enjoyed a number of titanic battles against the star-studded French giants since they first met in European competition in 2010.
Here we take a trip down memory lane to the most famous clash between these old foes.
Scarlets 30 Toulon 27 (January 20, 2018)
With 76 minutes on the clock at home against Benetton in round three the Scarlets were dead and buried and their European dreams in tatters. They had entered the pool stages with high hopes of making the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals having won the PRO12 in thrilling fashion the previous season.
But after a narrow defeat in Toulon a harsh five-day turnaround saw them outmuscled by Bath in the wind and rain back home in west Wales. In round three they trailed Benetton by two scores with four minutes remaining but two late tries from Steff Evans and Paul Asquith saw Wayne Pivac’s keep themselves alive in the pool.
A bonus point victory out in Italy was to follow before a phenomenal win over Bath at the Rec to set up a pool decider with Toulon in Llanelli. A 14,870 capacity crowd packed Parc Y Scarlets for what was to become one of the most memorable nights in the history of regional rugby in Wales.
In what was a throwback to some of Llanelli’s most famous nights at Stradey Park, the Welsh region scored three tries to come out on top in narrow fashion despite having to counter a monstrous French pack. This was first time since 2007 the Scarlets had made it out of the knock-out stages and Pivac’s side did it the hard way, scoring first-half tries through Tom Prydie, Hadleigh Parkes and Dan Jones before showing tremendous guts to hold on to their lead.
In front of the biggest European crowd in Scarlets’ history, the game started at rip-roaring pace as Rhys Patchell’s long pass gave Prydie an easy finish. Jones converted, but Toulon responded immediately, their power game seeing No 8 Vermeulen pick and go from close range.
Anthony Belleau missed the conversion, but then followed Jones in kicking a penalty in what was a ferocious affair. Patchell’s long ball was then intercepted by Ashton who raced clear and just made it to the line despite Paul Asquith’s tap tackle.
It was a fine finish by England’s forgotten man, the former Saracens wing showing exceptional pace to evade three covering red defenders. At the other end, Belleau’s poor clearance kick was then immediately charged down by Aaron Shingler who hacked on, allowing Parkes to dive over.
Two conversions and a penalty apiece from the two kickers made it 20-18 after a breathless half an hour. There was soon more to cheer, too. Another flowing team move saw Jones steam on to a short pall and convert his own score, but Belleau’s third penalty goal ensured there were just six points between the teams at the break.
Barnes’ penalising of Scarlets at the contact area had kept Toulon in the game in the opening 40 and the hosts were pinged again right at the start of the second half. The penalty count would have been of undoubted concern to Pivac, but three-time European winners Toulon offered little behind the scrum.
Both teams felt the harshness of Barnes’ whistle, but Patchell nailed a monster kick for the first points of the second period. Francois Trinh-Duc, who had replaced the inconsistent Belleau, soon cancelled that out as Barnes continued to play the pantomime villain.
Trinh-Duc kicked another penalty and both sides emptied their bench in search of fresh legs. Toulon hammered away, but ultimately the hosts held on, staying strong in defence to show they have guts as well as skill and Trinh-Duc’s late drop goal miss sent the Llanelli faithful wild at the final whistle.
“We are very, very happy,” said the then Scarlets head coach Pivac afterwards. “There were a few breakdown penalties which I thought could have gone either way and went against us.
“But I’m just so pleased we hung on at the end because we deserved the result. It’s relief more than anything and the way we defended won us the game.
“Toulon sent some big boys at us and we kept chopping them down. We have targeted Europe this season and this is history for the club.
“Whoever we play in the quarter-finals, we’ll take confidence from this game.”
