Werner Kok treble sees Sharks down Scarlets in Llanelli

Werner Kok scored a hat-trick of tries to help the Sharks to just a fourth United Rugby Championship victory of the season as they beat the Scarlets 32-27 in Llanelli.

Both teams are out of the play-off picture with three games remaining but the South Africans will hope to end a disappointing season on a high note.

Vincent Koch also crossed for the Sharks with fly-half Siya Masuku kicking three conversions and a penalty.

Ryan Elias, Kemsley Mathias and Ioan Nicholas scored tries for the home side with Sam Costelow kicking the rest of their points.

Scarlets were quick out of the blocks and took an early 3-0 lead through a Costelow penalty after the Sharks were penalised for offside.

But the Sharks immediately hit back when a clean lineout win and quick hands stretched Scarlets’ backline and Kok ran in for the simplest of tries on the right wing.

Misuku and Costelow traded penalties before the Scarlets went ahead with a superb try.

Tomi Lewis broke through down the left and after he was felled 20 metres out the ball was played inside and hooker Ryan Elias ploughed his way through a gaping hole in the Sharks defence in slide in just to the right of the posts with Costelow’s conversion making it 13-10.

It was the Sharks who went into the interval ahead after knocking on the door at the Scarlets line before Koch picked the ball up from the back of a ruck and dived over under the posts and Misuku’s conversion sent them into the interval 17-13 to the good.

Masuku booted an early penalty for the visitors before the Scarlets battled back to level the scores with half an hour remaining.

Johnny Williams punched a hole in the Sharks defence and as the South Africans were retreating the Welsh region’s forwards went to work and prop Mathias picked up from the ruck and power over with Costelow sending over a simple conversion.

But back came the Sharks again with Kok going in for his second try of the evening after he latched onto a well-weighted kick to the corner from Masuku to touch down unopposed.

Kok completed his hat-trick with six minutes remaining to put the game out of reach for the Scarlets and it was another perfectly weighted kick from Masuku that picked out Kok in the corner for the easiest of tries before Nicholas scored a consolation try for Scarlets.