Scarlets 51-5 Treviso: Scarlets put eight tries past Treviso

Scarlets are up to fourth in the Guinness PRO12 table

DTH van der Merwe scored a try hat-trick as Scarlets coasted to a 51-5 bonus-point victory at Parc y Scarlets.

The result pushes the Wesh region up to fourth in the Guinness PRO12 table before they head to the Principality Stadium next weekend for Judgement Day V against local rivals Newport Gwent Dragons.

Scarlets' five other tries came from Steff Evans (2), Ken Owens, Tom Price and Aled Davies. The other 11 points came from the boots of Dan Jones and Aled Thomas.

Towards the end Treviso lost their discipline and had three players - Federico Zani, Francesco Minto and Edoardo Gori - sent to the sin bin in the space of six minutes.

Treviso's consolation try in the second half was scored by replacement hooker Ornel Gega.

Skipper Owens, who made his 200th appearance for the Scarlets, started in the front row alongside fellow Wales internationals Rob Evans and Samson Lee.

Scarlets went into halt-time with a commanding 30-0 lead having registered the try bonus point after only 25 minutes.

After Dan Jones opened Scarlets account with a penalty it was largely one-way traffic as the home side went in for five tries in the first 40 minutes.

The first two tries came in the space of two minutes both created by flanker James Davies.

After pushing Treviso off their own scrum ball Davies sent Van der Merwe into the right corner and the openside turned provider again this time with a kick through for Steff Evans to latch on to. Dan Jones failed to convert either conversion.

Steffan Evans scoring his side's second try of the evening

On 16 minutes 13-0 became 20-0 when Johnny McNicholl ran back a Treviso kick and sent Van der Merwe on his way to the line for his second try. Dan Jones converted.

The bonus-point try came from a drive at a line-out with skipper Owens emerging the scorer from a pile of bodies.

And five minutes before the interval Steff Evans was sent on a 70-metre dash for the line by James Davies with Dan Jones missing the conversion.

Tom Price started the second half with a score

Scarlets carried on as they left off in the first half with replacement Price going over after only three minutes of the restart.

For much of the second half the game lost its shape and Treviso were allowed a consolation try for hooker Gega.

But referee Andrew Brace lost his patience with the Italians' persistent offending and yellow carded Zani, Minto and Gori on 60, 63 and 66 minutes respectively.

That allowed Van der Merwe to run in for his try hat-trick and he was followed over by scrum-half replacement Aled Davies. Both tries were converted by Aled Thomas.

Two minutes from the end James Davies was yellow-carded for dangerous play but he was still named man of the match.