RaboDirect PRO12: Jonathan Davies scored two tries as Scarlets beat Cardiff 24-6
Wales centre Jonathan Davies touched down for two tries to help the Scarlets claim a 24-6 derby win over Cardiff.
Last Updated: 20/04/13 9:39pm
Davies went over in each half and a third score came from full-back Liam Williams, while the Blues could muster only two penalties from the boot of Leigh Halfpenny.
The game started at a frenetic pace with both teams attacking at every opportunity, but it was the Blues who went ahead on 18 minutes when Cardiff prop Phil John was penalised for tackling his man without the ball allowing Wales full-back Halfpenny to find the target with his first penalty.
A side-step and sprint through a gap saw Wales centre Jonathan Davies go over behind the scrum for Williams to convert seven minutes later, while in the final five minutes of the half Halfpenny and Williams swapped penalties to give the home side a four point lead.
The start of the second half became a game of cat and mouse with lots of tactical kicking but eventually the stalemate was broken.
A good move from a scrum ended with Jonathan Davies bursting over from eight metres to claim his second try of the evening.
Shortly afterwards Williams exploited a huge gap in midfield to go over for the third try converted by Rhys Priestland, who played the final 15 minutes, which was enough to seal the Scarlets a hard-fought but ultimately convincing victory.
The win means that the Scarlets now need to beat Treviso next Friday night to secure a play-off place.