Big weekend all round for Brive

Extensive celebrations at the end of a pulsating 80 minutes at theStadium Amedee-Domenech showedjust how much the win meant to the club's supporters and Gillham insists a similar atmosphere surrounded the whole city both before and after the match.

"We're very happy to have had so many Welsh fans in our city for the weekend. Brive loves to welcome this kind of event," Gillham told Midi Olympique.

"It was terrific to meet our foreign friends in bars and restaurants throughout the city.

"And from a rugby point of view, there was a great sense of pride in welcoming a number of Grand Slam Champions within the Scarlets squad.

"For all these reasons it was a pleasure to host an Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final here in Brive."

Brive qualified for the last eight thanks to six straight wins in the pool stages, including a heroic winner-takes-all success at Sale Sharks in the last round.

And while they may not possess the big names that can be found at the three other semi-finalists - Toulon, Stade Francais and Biarritz - Gillham says team spirit and togetherness will give them a chance of adding to their continental success of 15 years ago.

"The Amlin is a huge bonus for us. We are desperate to stay in the Top 14 but we would love to win the Amlin, too," added Gillham.

"We may not have the most-talented squad but we have some fantastic values and a wonderful team spirit.

"The Amlin Challenge Cup is a good break from the Top 14 and it gives opportunities to try new players and give people game time, which is hugely important for our squad.

"It's true that this season, like last season, the Amlin Challenge Cup has given us a fresh start. The competition is in no way a handicap for us and we always want to do well in it."