Cardiff Blues A finished their Celtic Cup campaign with a losing bonus point, despite tries from Teddy Williams and Daf Smith in an entertaining encounter against Scarlets A.
The hosts came firing out of the block at Cardiff Arms Park, but only had five points on the scoreboard despite their dominance.
However, Scarlets built their way back into the game with a try against the run of play, and momentum suddenly swung in the west Wales region’s favour.
Ryan Lamb kept the scoreboard ticking for the visitors, with replacement Ioan Hughes also adding a penalty to slash the hosts’ chances of bouncing back for a victory.
However, the hosts had the final word as Smith touched down in the final moments.
The hosts dominant in the opening period, firmly on top and enjoying the majority of possession and territory.
The likes of Ben Thomas, Ioan Davies and Dan Fish were causing problems for the Scarlets defence, but were unable to convert pressure into points in the opening 10 minutes.
The visitors conceded a series of penalties, but defended valiantly on their own try line to deny the hosts an opening score.
The Blues were dealt a first half blow as full back Davies was forced off with an injury, but with half hour they finally made the pressure count.
Number eight Tim Grey made a bust in midfield, drawing the final defender and feeding lock Williams, who just made it to the whitewash for his second score of the campaign.
However, the visitors bounced back against the run of play. A break down the left hand side saw Jonathan Evans advancing deep into opposition territory, and he had number eight Lewis Millin in support, who squeezed in at the corner.
The experienced Lamb converted from out wide, and the former Gloucester outside half added a further penalty, after Morgan Williams and Tom Prydie combined to put their side back into the Blues’ 22.
Momentum began swinging in the visitors’ favour, and they kicked off the second half with more penalties, putting them in prime position to extend their lead, but a strong defence from Cardiff Blues held their opposition out in the opening stages.
However, the hosts struggled to exit their own half, and found themselves eight points down as Lamb added another three points from the tee.
A stunning break chip from playmaker Fish opened up a golden opportunity for the home side. Possession fell perfectly for replacement Daf Smith, who fed Rhys Davies on his outside.
The academy back was brought down, but Fish broke once again from the next phase of play, opening up an opportunity for Sam Jones on the right.
The Merthyr wing was brought down short, but the opportunity came to an end as scrum half Zach Bartlett was forced to knock on as he attempted to pass out of the ruck.
However, the Scarlets kept the scoreboard ticking, with replacement outside half Ioan Hughes adding their third penalty of the evening, as they took the game out of the Blues’ sights.
Cardiff Blues A salvaged a bonus point in the final moments, as Fish chipped behind the Scarlets defence, once again finding Smith who had a clear path to the try line.