In their first away win outside Wales since March 2022, the Scarlets picked up only a fourth win of the season against the league’s bottom side.
Davies’ first half double doing the damage in the first forty minutes, whilst scores from Ryan Elias and Tomi Lewis after the break added gloss to the victory despite Zebre captain Giovanni Licata giving the home side an early lead.
Muhamed Hasa’s try midway through the second-half threatened an unlikely comeback, but the boot of Sam Costelow saw the Welsh region home comfortably in the end.
It would be the key Welsh contingent of man-of-the-match Davies, Elias and Taine Plumtree that would be the difference of the night as the West Walians for the best part controlled the game despite their early scare.
Number eight Licata bulldozering his way through a couple of early tackles off the back of a scrum to give the home side the lead in just the fourth minute.
The Scarlets responded well and hit back after several phases of patient play with hooker Elias going over from close-range.
It didn’t take long for the Scarlets to assert their authority on the match with the next score minutes later. Plumtree involved in the build-up slipping the ball to Ryan Conbeer to feed scrum-half Davies for the first of his brace.
Fly-half Giovanni Montemauri nudged Zebre back ahead with two penalties but it would be the Italian’s wasteful pass that would be intercepted by Davies to sprint clear to get his second of the match. A score that sees the veteran become only the second Welshman to score 50 tries in league action.
Scarlets piled on the pressure after the break and when centre Eddie James’ quick hands found speedster Lewis there was only going to be one outcome as the wing scored his second in as many games to secure an attacking bonus point.
Davies’ evening had one blotch on it with a scuffed kick charged down gifting Zebre a brief route back into the match through prop Hasa.
Peel’s side though held on to end a run of four defeats to consolidate 14th place in the table. The result leaves the Scarlets six points ahead of the Dragons who visit Ospreys later today and the Italians who remain rooted to the foot of the table.
Speaking post-match Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said:
“We’re absolutely delighted with the win. We dominated possession and took our chances when we got into their half.
“I felt at times I felt we let them back into it, but we took back control of the game and scored some good tries.
“They came after us, but credit to the lads, we stuck at it, played in the right areas and got the rewards.”
Scarlets XV:
Ioan Nicholas; Tomi Lewis, Johnny Williams, Eddie James, Ryan Conbeer; Ioan Lloyd, Gareth Davies
Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias (captain), Harri O’Connor, Alex Craig, Morgan Jones, Taine Plumtree, Dan Davis, Carwyn Tuipulotu.
Replacements:
Shaun Evans, Wyn Jones, Sam Wainwright, Jarrod Taylor, Ben Williams, Kieran Hardy, Sam Costelow, Macs Page
[Lead image: Scarlets Rugby]
