Scarlets secured a seven-try bonus-point victory over Newcastle Red Bulls in the European Challenge Cup, winning 47-14 at Llanelli. Fly-half Sam Costelow opened the scoring with an opportunistic try but limped off later in the first half with a hamstring injury, raising concerns for Wales coach Steve Tandy ahead of the Autumn Nations Championship squad announcement. Macs Page scored two tries on his 50th appearance, while Fletcher Anderson, Johnny Williams, Gareth Davies, and Ellis Mee also crossed for Scarlets.
Newcastle responded with late tries from Oliver Spencer and Ollie Leatherbarrow, but it was their fourth straight defeat. The match saw debuts for wing Brandon Jackson and Argentina prop Francisco Moreno, with 18-year-old Scottish fly-half Jake Dalziel starting. Blair Murray’s 60-metre counter-attack provided an early highlight, though it came to nothing.
Scarlets’ indiscipline gave Newcastle attacking opportunities, but they failed to capitalise. Joe Hawkins replaced Costelow and converted Gareth Davies’ try following a break by Ellis Mee. The win marked a strong start to Scarlets’ European campaign in front of 5,629 fans.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing