Scarlets scoreless in heavy defeat against Stormers

The Scarlets slumped to a 34-0 defeat against the Stormers in Llanelli, failing to register a point in a league match for the first time in over 18 years.

The South African side dominated from start to finish, scoring five tries through Evan Roos, Paul de Villiers, Ruben van Heerden, Imad Khan and standout performer Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who also kicked seven points.

Damian Willemse added a further two from the tee as the visitors secured a third straight win to stay top of the United Rugby Championship table.

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Injuries

Dwayne Peel’s Scarlets, ravaged by injuries to key forwards including Josh Macleod, Jake Ball and Sam Lousi, were overpowered in the collisions and bullied at the scrum. They conceded 15 penalties in a one-sided first half, with Roos and de Villiers crossing to give the Stormers a 17-0 lead at the break.

Despite introducing fresh legs in the second half and enjoying more possession, the Scarlets lacked precision in attack.

Van Heerden added a third try for the visitors before Feinberg-Mngomezulu went from sin-bin to scorer, touching down in the corner to secure the bonus point.

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Rout

Replacement Khan rounded off the rout after a dominant Stormers scrum created space for him to finish.

The Scarlets, reduced to 14 men twice during the contest, struggled to impose themselves and were left to reflect on another worrying home performance.