European Cup Pool Five/Toulouse - 34 Llanelli - 41:Having become the latest Welsh number 10 to find himself afflicted by the nation's obsession with the Great Outhalf Debate, Stephen Jones could have been forgiven for losing all his confidence and the enthusiasm for which he is renowned.
But instead of letting the James Hook-obsessed media and equally fickle public get him down, Jones provided the firmest evidence he has far from given up on leading Wales to the World Cup.
Too many Welsh number 10s have faded away from not only the international scene but also top-flight rugby amid the swirl of invective that all too often goes with the jersey, the current Neath outhalf Arwel Thomas among the most notable of recent decades.
After this stunning victory on Saturday at a venue where Toulouse had not lost a home Heineken European Cup pool match for six seasons, Jones was justifiably proud of himself and every other man in Scarlet.
"I'm delighted with my performance in this game," he said. "I found November very frustrating. I played 10 minutes or whatever against Australia before I got injured and then against New Zealand when we were outplayed and there was a lot of criticism after that game.
"But what's important is that you stay strong, focus on the rugby, don't let other things distract you. In Wales it can be difficult because there's such a spotlight on the rugby, but I've had a lot of help from (Llanelli director of rugby) Phil Davies and the players have been brilliant to me.
"Yes, there's been a lot of stuff written about me and people can have their own opinions and they're entitled to them. All I can do is play to the best of my ability and enjoy it. And if I do that I'm happy. If someone else plays better than me, so be it. That's something I can't influence.
"I'm very proud (of the win). We didn't just hang on for a bonus point or draw when the scores were 34-34. It showed our belief and character that we won in France. I played here for two seasons and didn't win in Toulouse for Clermont-Ferrand."
The Scarlets were unfazed by Clement Poitrenaud's brilliance as he ran in four tries within 47 minutes, perhaps encouraged by the fact that Toulouse's front five looked fallible and their confidence brittle, particularly after Fabien Pelous departed with his lower left leg in a brace. The French captain's departure was quickly followed by Dafydd James maintaining his terrific try-scoring record in Europe to give the visitors hope.
Toulouse may have felt safe when 31-10 ahead just after half-time but Llanelli produced their own festive fairytale as the wing Darren Daniel went over twice, fullback Barry Davies adding a breathtaking score in between.
And just when everyone had managed to shuffle back from the edge of their seats, Jones dummied a drop-goal attempt and broke on the left, where the outstanding Regan King sent Nathan Thomas crashing over.
TOULOUSE: Poitrenaud; Clerc, Kunavore, Fritz, Heymans; Du Toit, Courrent; Human, Bru (capt), Poux; Pelous, Albacete; Bouilhou, Lamboley, Dusatoir. Replacements: Millo-Chluski for Pelous (39 mins); Perugini for Human (40 mins); Nyanga for Lamboley (58 mins); Lacombe for Bru (66 mins); Baby for Poitrenaud (71 mins); Elissalde for Courrent, Brennan for Bouilhour (both 74 mins).
LLANELLI SCARLETS: Davies; James, King, Gavin Evans, Daniel; S Jones, Peel (capt); I Thomas, Rees, Dunlea; A Jones, Macleod; D Jones, G Thomas, Popham. Replacements: Manu for Dunlea (32 mins); Afeaki, for A Jones (half-time); Thomas for Popham (70 mins); Garan Evans for Daniel (74 mins).
Referee: C White (England).
Guardian Service
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)