By Brenden Nel.
The Toyota Cheetahs came crashing down to earth as a first-half onslaught gave Scarlets an unassailable lead and a 45-26 victory in their European Challenge Cup match in Parma on Saturday.
The Cheetahs would have been brimming with confidence after beating Pau last weekend but the onslaught by Scarlets, who conceded the first try, to run in five unanswered tries in the first half put the game beyond doubt.
An exceptional fightback by the Cheetahs in the second half secured themselves a bonus point, but they were never close enough to threaten the Scarlets’ lead.
It was a rude awakening for the Bloemfontein side, who base themselves in Parma for the tournament, as they enjoyed their second week of European action.
There were flashes of brilliance in the second half and some players – especially Tapiwa Mafura and Reinhardt Fortuin caught the eye, but the moments were too few and far between for them to threaten the Welsh side.
The Scarlets’ exceptional kicking game in the first half gave the Cheetahs a lot of problems and put the pressure on the Bloemfontein team with some exceptional defence leading to a number of turnovers.
The Cheetahs scored first through winger Munier Hartzenberg in the second minute but the Welsh side hit back with waves of attack which brought winger Steffan Evans a brace of tries within minutes.
Ryan Conbeer, Johnny McNicholl and the irrepressible Sam Lousi added tries in the first half as well, with Lousi’s long arm picking off an easy intercept for the lock to run in untouched.
In the second half the Cheetahs looked a lot better and while the first 20 minutes saw no points, they upped their game and scored through Fortuin and then Daniel Kasende.
Their own wave of attacks stretched the Scarlets and opened a gap for Friedle Olivier to pick up and run through to gain the bonus point.
A late try by Ken Owens settled any thought of a comeback and capped a good night for the Scarlets.
SCORERS
TOYOTA CHEETAHS – tries: Munier Hartzenberg, Reinhardt Fortuin, Daniel Kasende, Friedle Olivier. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (3).
SCARLETS – tries: Steffan Evans (2), Ryan Conbeer, Johnny McNicholl, Sam Lousi, Ken Owens. Conversions Sam Costellow (6). Penalty: Costellow.