Cardiff beat Scarlets 21-15 as driving maul decides URC opener

Cardiff opened their United Rugby Championship campaign with a 21-15 victory at Scarlets on Saturday, September 26, as three tries from driving line-outs settled the Welsh derby. BBC Sport reported that Dan Thomas, Taine Basham and replacement hooker Evan Lloyd supplied the visitors' tries in Llanelli, with Basham named player of the match.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNVD0Apr088

Scarlets twice found a route through Cardiff in the first half. Joe Roberts finished a move involving Dane Blacker and Sam Lousi, while Blair Murray scored after Eddie James created an opening. Cardiff answered through Thomas and Basham and reached the interval leading 14-12.

Joe Hawkins' penalty put Scarlets back ahead after the break, but Lloyd's try restored Cardiff's advantage and Jarrod Evans converted. A Murray kick ruled out on the full had given the visitors an attacking opportunity. Evans subsequently missed a long-range penalty, leaving the home side within a converted try.

The result also marked competitive Cardiff debuts for summer recruits Scott Sio and Le Roux Malan. Cardiff's team announcement identified Sio as an arrival from Exeter and paired Malan with Ben Thomas in midfield. Captain Liam Belcher started at hooker between Sio and former Scarlets prop Javan Sebastian, while Josh McNally and Teddy Williams formed the second row.

Cardiff had selected six capped Wales internationals among their replacements, according to the club. That group included Evans, who returned during the summer after three seasons at Harlequins. His previous Cardiff appearance had come against the Ospreys in 2023, making this derby the start of a new competitive spell with the club.

For Scarlets, the evening was Ryan Elias' 200th appearance. The club's milestone announcement traced the hooker's development through Carmarthen Athletic and the Scarlets pathway before his debut in 2013. Now in his 14th season, Elias had also received the coaches' player-of-the-season award in 2015.

Scarlets still threatened late through another James run, but BBC Sport reported that Lloyd won a crucial turnover to end the attack and protect Cardiff's six-point win.