Pro12: Scarlets ran in four tries as they comfortably defeated Connacht
Last Updated: 15/02/15 6:44pm
Scarlets defeated Connacht 32-14 to draw level on points with their sixth-placed opponents in the Guinness Pro12 table.
The battle for a place in the top six is hotting up and Scarlets gave their hopes a boost with a crucial bonus point success.
Michael Tagicakibau, Harry Robinson, Jordan Williams and James Davies scored tries for the hosts and Steve Shingler kicked 12 points while Connacht wing Niyi Adeolokun scored their try and Jack Carty added three penalties.
The visitors were on top in the early stages and took the lead when Carty kicked an early penalty to put them 3-0 up.
And there was further encouragement for Connacht when Scarlets lost number eight John Barclay to the sin-bin for dragging down a maul on his own line.
But the Scarlets actually prospered while they were reduced to 14 men, Shingler kicking a pair of penalties to give them a 6-3 lead.
And, when they again had a full complement of players, Scarlets took total control, scoring three tries in just nine minutes.
Centre Regan King was the key man, creating a try for Tagicakibau in the left corner and then putting Robinson over down the right after Ken Owens had stolen a Connacht line-out.
The third try was particularly wounding for Connacht as they were on the attack and looked all set to eat into their deficit, only for Williams to nab an interception near his own line and race 80 yards for the score.
Carty kicked penalties either side of half-time for the Irish side but they still trailed 25-9 and, from the restart after the second of those three-pointers, Scarlets enginereed their bonus point try.
Having kicked a penalty into the corner, the hosts drove forward from the subsequent line-out and Davies wriggled over, Shingler adding the conversion to make it 32-9.
And Connacht then had captain John Muldoon yellow carded for stamping at a ruck with 25 minutes still to play.
However, they did not concede any further points and managed a consolation try seven minutes from time when Adeolokun got over in the corner.