Concern for Gatland as Lee sits out second half

SCARLETS continued their revival with victory in Italy though Samson Lee’s return was cut short.

The Wales prop was only due to play an hour of his first club game since April following shoulder surgery, but he failed to emerge after the break which may concern Wales boss Warren Gatland.

His replacement, Werner Kruger, grabbed his first try since signing in the summer while wings DTH van der Merwe and Steff Evans completed a second-half blitz.

Evan’s interception try in the final seconds may have distorted the final score, having trailed 3-0 at half-time, but Scarlets are now starting to close the gap on the league leaders after their desperately slow start to the season.

They made a slow start here as well as not even the return of Lee could bring immediate relief to the Scarlets ailing scrum.

Such was the lack of any real weight or impact among the five men pushing behind Lee that Treviso still managed to shove back the visitors with only seven forwards after Andrea de Marchi was singled out by referee Gary Conway after a series of failed engagements.

Yet at the next set-piece the depleted Treviso pack still had too much and earned a penalty that Tommaso Allan converted from 35 yards out.

Those were the opening points after 33 frantic minutes in which the early signs had been concerning for Scarlets given their lack of discipline.

Yet they should still have been ahead but Liam Williams, their matchwinner last week against Connacht, spilled a guildedged opportunity.

Van der Merwe bustled through, clearing a path for Gareth Davies and the No.9 appeared to serve up a try on a plate for Williams who could only spill the ball over the line.

Patchell levelled the scores inside three minutes of the second half but Luke McLean’s powerful burst lured John Barclay into conceding a second penalty for Allen and David Bulbring saw yellow for infringing at a ruck.

However when down to 14, Scarlets played smart rugby, retaining possession and moving Treviso’s pack around. Aaron Shingler proved the catalyst, heavily involved for Kruger’s try before Scarlets struck again through van der Merwe. Ian McKinley twice missed kicks, but Evans ran back an interception in the final seconds.