Scarlets earn bonus-point win

Llanelli Scarlets 30 Glasgow Warriors 7

Llanelli registered a bonus-point victory to keep up their Magners League title hopes at Stradey Park.

The home side recovered from an awful Heineken Cup campaign and a 41-0 home defeat to Clermont Auvergne to register a five-try win with Regan King crossing twice.

The victory would have been that much more convincing had Rhys Priestland not been off target with three penalties and three conversions.

It leaves the Scarlets two points adrift of Magners leaders Leinster with seven games remaining – four of those at home.

The Scarlets went into the match without all five of their Wales squad players - Dwayne Peel, Stephen Jones, Matthew Rees, Mark Jones and Alix Popham – and Scotland second row Scott MacLeod.

The region had one boost with skipper Simon Easterby being named among the replacements after returning from the Ireland camp.

The Scarlets went into half-time holding a 15-7 advantage which would have been much greater had Priestland not missed three penalties and a conversion.

Priestland opened the scoring with a penalty after 13 minutes but even though Glasgow had number eight John Beattie sin-binned they scored the opening try through scrum-half Sam Pinder.

That score was cancelled out when Scarlets scrum-half Gavin Cattle touched down after Glasgow’s scrum was sent into reverse.

And three minutes before half-time Regan finished the second home try going over in the right corner after a good run by Morgan Stoddart.

It was almost all Scarlets in the second half as they scored three tries to nil with Priestland going over in the corner – a score awarded by the TMO, even though he looked to have a knee in touch.

And the bonus point was assured when prop Iestyn Thomas crossed after Glasgow’s Ed Kalman had been sin-binned.

The icing on the cake was a second try for King in the dying moments which was scored courtesy of a neat grubber kick from Easterby.