Llanelli gain timely momentum

Llanelli 49 Neath 17

Llanelli proved they are ready to fight for cup glory both at home and abroad as they launched their European preparations with an emphatic victory over Neath.

The win not only booked their place in the semi-finals of the Principality Cup, but also helped build up a head of steam for Friday night's Heineken Cup quarter-final.

The Scarlets face Perpignan for a place in the last four of a competition that has been a constant source of frustration for the club and this performance will have done little to calm the rising expectancy at Straddey Park.

The club's hard-line stance during recent political upheaval has not endeared them to the rest of Welsh rugby, and Neath in particular, who were forced to accept a merger with their bitter rivals Swansea following Llanelli's vehement refusal of such a deal. That served to strengthen Neath's desire to win, but once again Llanelli, winners of the Welsh Cup a record 11 times, triumphed.

It took them just three minutes to open the scoring when Neath's Shane Williams made a hash of Garan Evans' chip ahead to gift Dafydd Jones an early try. But despite dominating possession it took Llanelli another half an hour to score again by which time Neath had drawn level through Gareth Morris.

After seven weeks apart due to the Six Nations, Llanelli could perhaps be forgiven for the lapse in concentration and their rustiness in attack, but when Jones burrowed over for a second, the feeling was that Llanelli had finally clicked.

Matthew Watkins galloped over from 60 metres on the stroke of half-time to set the stage for a second-half salvo that produced tries for Evans, the full-back Barry Davies and the captain, Leigh Davies.

The win was marred by injury concerns for Scott Quinnell and Martyn Madden, though both are expected to recover fully by Friday.

Llanelli: Tries D Jones 2, M Watkins, B Davies, L Davies, G Evans; Conversions S Jones 5; Penalties S Jones 3. Neath: Tries G Morris, D Tiueti. Conversions S Connor 2. Penalty S Connor.

Llanelli: B Davies; G Evans, M Watkins, L Davies (capt), S Finau; S Jones, D Peel (G Easterby, 50); P John (J Davies, 50), A Gravelle (A Yelland, 70), M Madden, V Cooper (J Cudmore, 72), C Wyatt, D Jones, S Quinnell (I Boobyer, 50), S Easterby.

Neath: A Durston; G Morris, J Storey, D Tiueti, S Williams (K James, 7); S Connor, A Moore (capt; P Horgan, 71); A Jones (A Millward, 60), A Matthews (S Jones, h-t), P James, A Newman, G Llewellyn (L Bateman, h-t), A Mocelutu (H Jenkins, 60), J Ringer (B Sinkinson, 71), S Tandy.

Referee: D R Davies (Llanbrathach).