LLANELLI won this game as comfortably as the scoreline suggests outscoring their Gwent hosts by eight tries to one at a damp and miserable Eugene Cross Park.

As preparation for next week's European games, the satisfaction was all Llanelli's.

Coach Gareth Jenkins, grateful to Ebbw Vale for accepting a request for a friendly match, was pleased with the pattern and shape that the Scarlets put into their game, but Mike Ruddock was very disappointed with his side.

"We played poorly in the first half giving ball away in the contact area and missing first time tackles," said the straight-talking Ebbw Vale coach.

"At least we had the satisfaction of giving Llanelli a far harder game in the second half after making a lot of changes.

"It will make selection for the Parker Pen Shield game with Madrid a more difficult exercise than we thought."

The one ray of optimism to come out of the defeat was that Ebbw Vale will surely offer more opposition when the league game against Llanelli takes place on December 21.

"The boys failed to come to terms psychologically with the fact that this was a friendly but will be up for it in three weeks time. I can vouch for that," smiled Ruddock.

The worrying thing for Ruddock of course is that if Vale fail to lift their game next week then even Madrid will fancy their chances in the Parker Pen Shield.

Coach Jenkins bemoaned the lack of competition that the Scarlets have suffered for some four weeks.

"Without any opposition for the last month, this game was a valued dress rehearsal." said Jenkins.

The coach was pleased with the Llanelli game and delighted by the rampant form in the loose of Scott Quinnell who grabbed a hat-trick of tries with his trade mark bullocking runs.

Llanelli fielded a virtually full strength side and dominated most areas of the game.

They led 32-13 at half time through a couple of Quinnell tries and other touchdowns by locks Vernon Cooper and Chris Wyatt plus wing Mark Jones, Stephen Jones kicking two conversions and a penalty.

Ebbw Vale did get a try by debutante Japanese international centre Dai Katsumo plus eight points from the boot of Mark Meenan but it looked as if Ebbw Vale were in for a real second half trouncing by the focused Scarlets.

But the introduction of the likes of club captain Chay Billen and Will Thomas up front and Rhys Shorney behind stiffened the Vale resolve and despite Llanelli's expansive approach they were restricted to three tries.

Llanelli's ex Newport centre Matthew Watkins ran splendidly to finish a long and patient team build up while stand-in hooker John Davies steamed in for another and the last try was credited to Scott Quinnell after a long deliberation by referee Huw Lewis.

Ebbw Vale: M Meenan (S Mitchell 40); L Roberts (R Shorney 40), D Katsumo, M Ridley (E Binham 49), A Takarangi; R Davies, B Shelbourne (A Bevan 40) (G Betts 69); A Black (capt), J Evans, D Penisini (M Jones 40), P Sidoli, N Edwards (C Billen 40), R Williams (W Thomas 40), K Tuipulotu (D Godfrey 77), P Williams. Scorers: Try - D Katsumo; Conversion M Meenan; Penalties - Meenan (2).

Llanelli: G Evans; M Jones, M J Watkins (B Davies 80), L Davies (capt) (W Proctor 65), S Finau; S Jones (G Bowen 76), G Easterby; P John (I Thomas 71), J Davies, M Madden, V Cooper, C Wyatt (L Gross 71), D Jones, S Quinnell, S Easterby (D Hodges 40). Scorers: Tries - S Quinnell (3), V Cooper, C Wyatt, M Jones, M Watkins, J Davies; Conversions - S Jones (5); Penalty - Jones.