Scarlets flyhalf Sam Costelow punished an ill-disciplined performance from a Springbok-powered Sharks with a perfect day off the kicking tee steering the Welsh side to an upset victory in Llanelli on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Costelow converted all of his eight attempts at goal for a haul of 22 points as the Scarlets claimed a 32-20 victory over a Sharks side that had welcomed a plethora of Springboks back from a training camp.
Aside from brief periods in each half, the Sharks never looked like winning the match, as many of the returning Springboks struggled to shake off the rust and made plenty of errors on attack and defence.
Scarlets, who came into this game in 14th place, took full advantage, with Welsh winger Steff Evans scoring an opportunistic brace of tries, as the hosts kept up their hopes of claiming the Welsh Shield.
SMOOTH ?
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The Sharks meanwhile, were targeting a full house of five log points going into this game, but came away with nothing, as they were denied a late try by a fantastic cover tackle, which would have seen them get at least a losing bonus point. The visitors could only muster up two maul tries from close range, as they struggled to put anything together among their backs.
Neil Powell’s side now go into their final two home fixtures of the season under pressure, as the race for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs heats up.
Photo: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Gallo Images