Pro14: Scarlets 17-13 Cheetahs

Wing Steff Evans scores a try on his 100th Scarlets appearance

Scarlets edged a tight Pro14 game against Cheetahs at a rain-swept Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

Wing Steff Evans and scrum-half Kieran Hardy claimed tries for the home side, with fly-half Dan Jones kicking seven points.

Tian Meyer scored a breakaway try for Cheetahs, although it needed the boots of Tian Schoeman and Ruan Pienaar to keep the South Africans in touch.

But Scarlets held out to earn their fourth win in five outings this term.

Meyer opened the scoring when Scarlets were turned over at a ruck and a deep kick allowed the Cheetahs scrum-half to gather and score, with Schoeman adding the tricky conversion,

Scarlets hit back when wing Steff Evans marked his 100th appearance for the Welsh team by darting over from close range.

Jones kicked the conversion, although the fly-half was perhaps fortunate to avoid a yellow card soon after for a late, high tackle on Cheetahs full-back Rhyno Smith.

The home side took the lead when Kieron Fonotia, back in a Scarlets shirt after his World Cup duties with Samoa, stole the ball at a ruck to launch a quick counter that saw Hardy scamper over for a converted try.

A Schoeman penalty early in the second half, followed by a long-range effort from Pienaar, brought Cheetahs to within a point.

But the South Africans conceded a penalty almost from the restart and Jones edged Scarlets away once more.

Scarlets' South African number eight Uzair Cassiem, a former Cheetahs player, told BBC Sport Wales:

"It was our first game in rainy conditions but the boys stuck it through, there were a lot of individual errors but we can clean that up this week, be more clinical and be ready for Benetton.

"It's no problem playing against these guys, we're friends off the field but enemies on it.

"It's an amazing day for South African rugby with the World Cup win, you can see it on social media and it's something to talk about for the next four years.

"It's magical (having a winning black captain in Siya Kolisi) with all that's happened in the past, it's moments like this that bring a nation together."

Scarlets: Johnny McNicholl; Ryan Conbeer, Kieron Fonotia, Steff Hughes (capt), Steff Evans; Dan Jones, Kieran Hardy; Phil Price, Marc Jones, Samson Lee, Lewis Rawlins, Steve Cummins, Ed Kennedy, Josh Macleod, Uzair Cassiem.

Replacements: Taylor Davies, Rob Evans, Werner Kruger, Juandre Kruger, Dan Davis, Dane Blacker, Angus O'Brien, Corey Baldwin.

Cheetahs: Rhyno Smith; William Small-Smith, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Louis Fouche; Clayton Blommetjies; Tian Schoeman, Tian Meyer (capt); Boan Venter, Joseph Dweba, Aranos Coetzee, Sintu Manjezi, JP du Preez, Sias Koen, Junior Pokomela, Jasper Wiese.

Replacements: Wilmar Arnoldi, Luan de Bruin, Erich de Jager, Walt Steenkamp, Gerhard Olivier, Ruan Pienaar, George Whitehead, Anthony Volmink.

Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Assistants: David Sutherland (SRU); Simon Rees (WRU)

TMO: Neil Patterson (SRU)