The Scarlets claimed their first win over the season and a much-needed bonus point in a comfortable 36-12 victory over Zebre on Saturday night.
The Welsh side hit the front early and never looked back. In the opening minutes, they probed around the Zebre 22 before a slick pass from the returning Scott Williams sent Sam Lousi up the far touchline. His basketball pass inside to Sam Costelow gave the fly-half a simple finish, which Leigh Halfpenny duly converted from out wide.
Zebre were stubborn for a period after and got a try of their own when flanker MJ Pelser, which went unconverted. But the Scarlets' quality began to show through.
Costelow made a searing break midway through the half that almost resulted in a try for Jonathan Davies, but it was ruled out for a knock on as Kieran Hardy was dragged down a metre short of the line.
But the second try did come shortly before the half hour mark. Again there was a sustained period of pressure deep in the Zebre half before the Italians eventually cracked and Sam Lousi, usually a lock but packing down at blindside flanker on the night, burrowed over from close range. The simple conversion was light work for Halfpenny.
It looked ominous for the visitors and it got even more so when prop Luca Rizzoli was sent to the sin bin for a late shoulder charge on Scarlets centre Williams in the 36th minute.
Then, on the stroke of half time, the Scarlets drove home their numerical advantage when captain Jonathan Davies crossed for a confidence-boosting score after a quiet start to the season. It wasn't the prettiest but it still counted for five points as Sione Kalamafoni made a dent off the back of a five metre scrum. The ball was quick and Davies showed composure to twist out of some desperate Zebre defence and dot the ball down.
Halfpenny chipped over another conversion and the Scarlets led 21-5 at the break.
The hosts secured the bonus point early in the second half when diminutive pivot Costelow spotted a huge gap in the defence and hit the jets to scythe and score the bonus point try. It was another easy conversion for Halfpenny.
Things then became trickier than they needed to be when the Scarlets picked up their second red card in as many weeks. as Sam Lousi followed Vaea Fifita in being sent off. His offence was a shoulder to the head of Zebre fly-half Geronimo Prisciantelli, leaving South African referee Morne Ferreira, who was making his league debut, no choice.
It got a little tense a few moments later when the visitors then crossed almost immediately for their second try through full-back Lorenzo Pani, which Prisciantelli converted.
Rain then battered Parc y Scarlets as the hosts settled things down. Hardy saw a try disallowed as the game approached the hour mark but Halfpenny extended the lead with a penalty in the final 10 minutes, to stretch the lead back out to 19 points.
Ryan Conbeer went over out wide in the final stage of the match to put the icing on the cake and wrap up a very welcome victory in Llanelli.
Scarlets
Tries: Sam Costelow (6, 42), Sam Lousi (28), Jonathan Davies (39), Ryan Conbeer (79)
Cons: Leigh Halfpenny (7, 29, 40, 43
Pens: Leigh Halfpenny (72)
Red card: Sam Lousi (51)
Zebre
Tries: MJ Pelser (13), Lorenzo Pani (52)
Con: Geronimo Prisciantelli (53)
Yellow card: Luca Rizzoli (36)
