Llanelli came off second best to a combative RGC 1404 as they fell to a 41-12 Indigo Premiership defeat at Parc y Scarlets.
The home side were second best in most areas and conceded six tries in all.
No. 8 Ben Williams crossed for Llanelli’s two tries, one in each half, but it was RGC who bossed the contest with their aggressive defence and dominance of the breakdown proving crucial.
It was the North Walian visitors who shot out of the blocks with a try inside the first minute from wing Dafydd Williams.
The response from the home side was swift with Ben Williams powering over after good work from centre Eddie James, but after that RGC took a grip on proceedings thanks to two well-drilled scores from line-out drives just before the break.
The Llanelli scrum was a strong weapon for the hosts, but all too often attacks broke down through a lack of accuracy with ball in hand.
Trailing 20-5 and needing a spark after the interval, skipper Christian Long almost provided it, charging down to set up James, who was just denied on the line.
Llanelli did get their second through the power of Williams from a line-out rumble that forced RGC back on their heels; Josh Phillips converting to reduce the lead to eight points.
However, the rest of the game belonged to the North Walians.
Scrum-half Efan Jones took an inside pass for his side’s bonus-point score on 52 minutes and in a one-sided final quarter full-back Sam Earl-Jones and flanker Dan Owen added further tries to secure victory for the visitors.