SO a magical tale of the unexpected for the Magners League new boys, but for Scarlets head coach Nigel Davies it was a case of the same old story.

In the build-up to this opener in northern Italy, Davies and his squad vowed to learn the lessons of last season.

The Scarlets registered eight losing bonus points in 2009-10 on their way to their lowest finishing position since the league began.

This season, the clear message was that the West Walians needed to be more clinical, they needed to hold onto good leads and they needed to close out games with composure.

Unfortunately for Davies, the learning process continues.

"I thought we were in complete control at half-time. We were playing good, positive rugby, stretching them and scored some great tries," said Davies.

"But from the first minute of the second half the momentum changed.

"We managed the game well in the first half, but in the second half we allowed them more ball and they got their pack more into the game.

"It is disappointing that our pack didn't front up in that second half and we also fell off a few tackles as well.

"Treviso aren't a bad team and I am sure we won't be the only side to lose out there this season. They are going to be very competitive.

"But this was a game we should have won.

"Martin Roberts had the ball knocked out of his hands when diving over in the first half and if he had scored there that would have been it."

The Scarlets, even without a number of experienced performers, will certainly feel they should have banked all four points — possibly five — at the Stadio Monigo after leading 22-9 at the break courtesy of a brilliant double by debutant winger George North and a superb solo score from fly-half Rhys Priestland.

In the build-up to the game Davies had hailed the 18-year-old 6ft 4in North as one to watch this season and the North Walian youngster didn't disappoint.

His first score, created by a long Morgan Stoddart cut-out pass from just outside his 22 is already a contender for try of the season.

Taking an inside pass from Gareth Maule, North showed good awareness, a neat step to beat international full-back Luke McLean and then a great turn of pace to touch down in the corner.

His second, taking a clever inside pass from Regan King, was more of the same, if from shorter range and already people are talking about him as potential international material.

Of course, it is still early days for a player who was turning out for Llandovery in the Welsh Premiership last season, but the signs are hugely promising.

It was the impressive Priestland who had set the Scarlets on their way.

After the lively Tobias Bortes had given Treviso the lead from a ninth-minute penalty, the in-form No. 10 ghosted through a jagged home defence, before a dummy opened up the way for him to dive over.

North's double, combined with the sin-binning of Treviso No. 8 Manoa Vosawai, put the Scarlets in the box seat at the break.

But that all changed after the interval.

With a vocal home crowd as inspiration, Treviso began to eat away at the visitors' lead. After another Botes penalty, the livewire South African scrum-half nipped over from close range following some slack defence from the Scarlets. And with the pendulum swinging to the home side, another penalty from Botes and a try from centre Ezion Galon on 66 minutes put the Italians ahead for the first time.

Two Priestland penalties reclaimed the lead for the Scarlets, but in a nerve-wracking finale, wing Tomasso Benvenuti stepped forward as the Treviso hero, diving in at the corner to carve out a historic first win for the hosts.

For the Magners League, a winning start for the Italians can't be a bad thing and on the evidence of this game the Scarlets aren't going to be the only scalp claimed at the Stadio Monigo.

For Davies and his men, battered pride needs to be restored — and that means putting Connacht away at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.