The two-time European kings scored six tries at Welford Road to see-off a brave Scarlets side ravaged by injuries. The result means they leapfrog Wayne Pivac’s men into second place in pool three on 13 points, with a crunch round six tie against Ulster on the horizon.
Cockerill had targeted a ten-point haul from their last two meetings to give them a chance of qualification, and half the job is done after their bonus-point triumph. And the former England hooker is looking for more of the same at Ravenhill next weekend.
He said: “I’m happy with the win, we got what we wanted out of the game, we did some very good things. The game was loose, but the Scarlets did well and scored three good tries.
“They have injuries in the front five which we exposed but it was a pleasing performance. We were clinical when we needed to be and it gives us a fighting chance in the competition heading into next week.
“We were clinical and scored some well-taken tries. The first try in particular was pleasing and we showed endeavour by kicking to the corners from the start to put the pressure on them.”
They still face an uphill battle to qualify for the last eight, but 18 points would give them a fighting chance, but Cockerill does not want to see his side give Ulster a chance after weathering a Scarlets storm.
He said: “A three point lead at half-time was a margin that we were disappointed with because of our inaccuracies. They have a very very good back line and they put us away which is disappointing but it was job done.”
