The Scarlets secured a place in the top-six of the RaboDirect PRO12 with a high-scoring 34-23 bonus-point victory over Welsh rivals Newport Gwent Dragons. The hosts had four different scorers at Parc y Scarlets as Jake Ball, Gareth Davies, Jordan Williams and Ken Owens all went over. The Dragons, who have now failed to win any of their last seven outings, saw Tom Prydie cross in each half but it was not enough to inflict a first RaboDirect PRO12 home defeat on the Scarlets – who with victory ensured qualification for next year’s European Cup – this calendar year. It was the visitors who got the scores up and running when Kris Burton knocked over an 11th-minute penalty, after two minutes earlier missing the target. But the Scarlets soon hit their stride and Ball crossed on 16 minutes to give the hosts the lead. Rhys Priestland added the extras to make it 7-3. Wales international Priestland knocked over a penalty shortly after and the Scarlets grabbed their second try just before the half-hour mark through Davies. A clinical lineout and some good build-up play allowed the Scarlets scrum-half to step and go over for a simple try. By now the Scarlets were in full swing and three minutes later they all-but sealed the game with a scintillating break. Jonathan Davies was the architect of the counter-attack, with Olly Barkley keeping up to offer his assistance before winger Williams was fed from close range. Priestland was proving faultless from the tee, converting both tries, but the Dragons had a sting in the tail as the first half drew to a close. The impressive Priestland made his first mistake of the game, passing straight to Burton on halfway. The fly-half didn’t have the legs to score but excellent support play from Pat Leach allowed Prydie, who had earlier missed a penalty, to reduce the Men from Gwent’s arrears to 24-13 at the break. That was down to 24-16 after another Burton penalty a minute after the restart, but the Scarlets secured the bonus point on 47 minutes when Owens bundled his way over. Priestland’s conversion added comfort to the scoreline, but that was short-lived when Prydie went over for his second try of the game to move the Dragons back within eight points – after Jason Tovey’s conversion. Taulupe Faletau won back possession for the visitors and a smart kick left Prydie with the simple task of running the ball home on the hour mark to make it a nervy finish. Priestland’s 69th-minute penalty eased the home nerves somewhat, and the Scarlets went on to seal their sixth consecutive victory at Parc y Scarlets in all tournaments with relative ease. Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to ourYouTubechannel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the RaboDirect PRO12.
