Sam Costelow kicked a 45-metre penalty with two minutes remaining to give the Scarlets a dramatic 27-26 victory over Benetton at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli. The win is the Scarlets' first United Rugby Championship victory of the season.
Scarlets fight back from 14-point deficit
The Scarlets trailed 21-7 at the break, but head coach Nigel Davies emptied the bench at half-time, which proved decisive. The Scarlets' tries came from Sam Lousi, Blair Murray and Ellis Mee (twice), with Costelow adding seven points from the kicking tee.
Benetton's tries were scored by Siua Maile, Onisi Ratave, Michele Lamaro and Louis Lynagh, with Jacob Umaga contributing eight points.
Player ratings
15. Blair Murray 9 (star man) - A constant threat with ball in hand, he made one stunning break from his own 22 during the first half, and his distribution was also very good. The Wales full-back also did exceptionally well to score an interception try from 70 metres out.
14. Ellis Mee 8 - Had a shaky first half with one kick out on the full but was very good after the break. He brushed past Onisi Ratave to finish expertly at the corner for a brace of tries.
13. Eddie James 7 - Made a number of explosive carries and a line break, but was out-paced by Louis Lynagh for Benetton's late try.
12. Joe Hawkins 5 - Some nice distribution early doors but lost the ball in contact on one occasion with an overlap outside. Made too many errors and got replaced early in the second half.
11. Macs Page 8 - Made a few first-half errors but came alive after the break. Burst through the Benetton defence with a sublime chip, regathered and produced a superb pass to send Ellis Mee over.
10. Sam Costelow 8 - Showed great composure to nail the winning penalty from 45 metres with two minutes left. Kicked well on the whole and managed the game well after the break.
9. Dane Blacker 4 - His kicking from hand was very poor at times, with one box kick almost going backwards. Replaced at half-time.
8. Osian Williams 6 - Made a couple of strong carries in the lead-up to the opening try and made 13 tackles before being replaced at half-time.
7. Josh Macleod 8 - The Scarlets captain finished as the game's top tackler with 22, won three turnovers at the breakdown, and earned a crucial penalty late on.
6. Sam Lousi 7 - Did well at the lineout, scored the opening try, and was prominent as a carrier in the second half.
5. Alex Groves 6 - Missed a tackle on Onisi Ratave in the lead-up to the Fijian wing's try, but made 13 tackles and was the Scarlets' main source of lineout ball.
4. Will Evans 5 - Made strong carries and 11 tackles, but his discipline let him down when he was penalised for obstruction at the maul five metres out from the Benetton line.
3. Henry Thomas 6 - Showed up well with a number of impressive tip-on passes, scrummaged reasonably well, and put in 11 tackles.
2. Ryan Elias 6 - A few hairy moments in the lineout but worked hard, making 13 tackles and four carries.
1. Kemsley Mathias 6 - Made 12 tackles and stood up well to the Benetton pack under pressure at the scrum.
Replacements make the difference
16. John McKee 5 - Needs to be more accurate at the lineout; a few throws went awry, but he brought energy.
17. Sam O'Connor 6 - Did well, making a couple of strong carries.
18. Harri O'Connor 5 - Got stuffed at a couple of scrums but held his own in the one that mattered at the death.
19. Harvey Cuckson 5 - Worked hard but was penalised for crossing, costing the Scarlets field position.
20. Fletcher Anderson 8 - Played the entire second half and made a huge impact with his carrying and relentless physicality.
21. Gareth Davies 8 - At 36, still comfortably the Scarlets' best scrum-half. His game management and kicking out of hand were superb.
22. Joe Roberts N/A - Unused replacement.
23. Johnny Williams 7 - Made a number of powerful carries and helped give the Scarlets go-forward.
