Clermont Auvergne captain Aurelien Rougerie claimed his club had made a loud Heineken Cup statement after demolishing Llanelli 48-21.

In a pool also containing holders Wasps and former champions Munster, Clermont's powerful display will not have gone unnoticed in England and Ireland.

Rougerie, who scored three of his side's seven tries at Parc des Sports Marcel-Michelin, said: "I have to take my hat off to the whole team.

"We had a great time out there and it's a fantastic start to our European campaign.

"We definitely weren't perfect, and we've got lots to look at and work on for next week. It certainly wasn't an easy game, and it could easily have turned in Llanelli's favour.

"But I think we've come out tonight and we've said: 'We're here and we're right in this pool."'

South Africa's World Cup-winning skipper John Smit, who made his Clermont debut off the bench, added that Wasps and Munster would underestimate the French club at their peril.

He said: "I was taken by surprise by the speed of the game. We had good offloads, good skills ... these guys are hungry to win this thing and we've made a great start.

"This is one of the most professional outfits I've ever been involved with. This is an exciting new chapter for me."

Scarlets coach Phil Davies said: "We let them get away in the beginning of the second half. We gave ourselves some real momentum towards the end, but it was too late to change the result.

"We're obviously disappointed not to have a bonus point, particularly in a pool this tough.

"We always feel we can win a game, but we made a lot of mistakes that we don't usually make.

"We'll need to look at our set-piece for next weekend - we lost four or five lineout balls.

"It was a very physical, so I'll give the guys a couple of days off. We've been so focussed on this match, we'll start thinking about Wasps then."

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