BATH boss Todd Blackadder pulled no punches after his team suffered a crushing European Champions Cup home defeat against Scarlets.

The Welsh team's spectacular 35-17 bonus-point victory sets them up for a potential Pool Five decider against three-time European champions Toulon next weekend.

Bath, though, face being frozen out of the quarter-final picture after their red-hot opponents ran in tries by lock Tadhg Beirne, wing Paul Asquith and Wales international centres Scott Williams and Hadleigh Parkes.

"Frustration is an understatement," Bath rugby director Blackadder said. "Big games are all about executing your basics well, and we didn't do that.

"We've got to address some internal issues we have got, and one of those is our inconsistency. The preparation has been bang on, but we are still getting inconsistent performances.

"We are so inconsistent that it has to be mental. We were preparing for hopefully a home quarter-final, but that was our fourth loss at home this season, which is just inexcusable.

"It lies with us - myself, the players - and we have got to turn this around. It is inexcusable.

"We did not execute our basics at all under pressure, and we paid for it. They outplayed us in most areas tonight.

"There is still a remote chance (of reaching the quarter-finals), but it's very remote. We had everything in our control going into tonight, but we just didn't perform."

Blackadder also confirmed that Bath's Wales international fly-half Rhys Priestland, who went off after just four minutes, suffered a hamstring injury. It could make him a doubt for the start of Wales' Six Nations campaign.

Scarlets fly-half Dan Jones added 15 points from the boot as Scarlets made light of losing injured Wales star Leigh Halfpenny 24 hours before kick-off, with outclassed Bath managing tries from wing Matt Banahan and number eight Zach Mercer, plus two Freddie Burns conversions and a penalty.

Scarlets skipper Ken Owens said: "Everyone works so hard for each other, and we express ourselves on the pitch. We've got some great players and we play a good brand of rugby.

"The boys stepped up tonight and put a shift in. But it is only half a job done. We have got to turn up next weekend now, which is a cup final for us.

"We can't sit on our laurels and think we are the best team in Europe because we put a good shift in tonight.

"We have put ourselves in with a chance of reaching the quarter-finals, and it is cup final rugby now."

The Scarlets led 19-3 after 31 minutes, and head coach Wayne Pivac added: "We got the start we were after. To a man, everyone stood up and did the job that was asked of them.

"We played at the tempo we wanted to, and there were some great tries scored in the first-half that gave us momentum.

"We wanted to express ourselves and play the game we know we can play, and I am very pleased the boys were able to do that on the big stage and get a great result."