Scarlets returned to winning ways, claiming a 41-24 bonus-point victory over Zebre at a sun-soaked Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma.

After successive URC defeats on their South African tour, it was a welcome result for Dwayne Peel and his squad.

While there will be areas Peel will be keen to work on ahead of the Welsh derbies, the Scarlets head coach will be delighted with how his side took their opportunities without having the lion’s share of possession or territory.

Wales international scrum-half Gareth Davies was awarded the man-of-the-match, while there were standout performances from Sam Lousi and centre Joe Roberts on his first start of the campaign.

Scarlets gave an indication of their intent in the opening minutes when wing Ryan Conbeer was just pushed out into the corner after a clever attacking kick.

The opening points came from a Rhys Patchell penalty, then the game’s first try arrived on 22 minutes courtesy of dummy and go from wing Corey Baldwin, who baffled the home defence before cantering over at the posts.

Italian international Carlo Canna responded with a penalty for the hosts, but the Scarlets were back up and running with a second try through Conbeer after slick hands from the outside backs.

Patchell landed the touchline conversion and was lining up another two-pointer shortly after following a lovely training ground move which saw full-back Johnny McNicholl pierce the Zebre defence to touch down at the posts.

Leading 24-3 at the break, the Scarlets had to withstand some strong Zebre pressure before claiming the bonus–point score on 50 minutes, to the delight of the travelling Scarlets fans who had made the trip to northern Italy.

McNicholl made the break out wide, Kalamafoni powered forward and his off-load allowed Sam Lousi to stroll over before dabbing down.

That sparked Zebre into life and the hosts swung the momentum of the match with two converted tries in the space of two minutes - a fine individual effort from Canna and another for full-back Michelangelo Biondelli.

But the Scarlets’ response was strong and swift. A series of powerful carries ended with flanker Tomas Lezana driving over from close range on 60 minutes, then replacement Carwyn Tuipulotu showed good strength to pounce for his first Scarlets try from a driving line-out with eight minutes remaining.

There was still time for a third Zebre try for wing Giovanni D'onofrio and also a senior debut for 18-year-old Academy hooker Lewis Morgan.

After claiming their first away win of the campaign, Scarlets will now turn their attention to a mouthwatering double header against Cardiff over the next fortnight, starting at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday evening.