Scarlets to embrace ‘greatest challenge’ in Dublin
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is a former Wales scrum-half
United Rugby Championship quarter-final: Leinster v Scarlets
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Saturday, 31 May Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Coverage: Watch on BBC One Wales, listen on BBC Radio Wales Extra, follow live text on BBC Sport online.
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel says there is no greater task than facing Leinster in Dublin, but has urged his side to embrace the challenge.
Peel’s side are underdogs against the Irish team for the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium.
Leinster topped the league after the regular season, although one of only two defeats for Leo Cullen’s men came against Scarlets in Llanelli in April.
With former Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies injured, Scarlets have named an unchanged 23 from the final-day league defeat against Sharks in Durban.
Leinster are missing Ireland centres Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose, and British and Irish Lions prop Tadhg Furlong.
They still include New Zealand centre Jordie Barrett, with the star-studded side led by Lions number eight Jack Conan, while Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan and South Africa lock RG Snyman are among the replacements.
‘No shying away’
Scarlets scrum-half Archie Hughes will make just his second league start of the season
Scarlets finished eighth in the URC following four late wins, with the prize tackling Leinster on their home turf.
“It’s going to be a great occasion and a case of embracing it,” said Peel.
“It’s not about chasing five points, it’s knockout rugby and it’s all on the day.
“We want to go further, we want to push a great team in Leinster as far as we can.”
This is Scarlets’ first appearance in the league play-offs since they were finalists in 2018.
After a 35-22 victory against a second-string Leinster last month, Scarlets have not won successive matches against the Irish side since 2015, but know they will be facing a different proposition this weekend.
“There’s no greater task than going to Dublin and we’re looking forward to that challenge,” said Peel.
“We won’t shy away from it, you’ve got to have confidence in your own group when you go there.
“As much as they have some world-class names in their group, we’ve got some pretty good players and we’re going to go there and give it the best we can.”
‘Welsh rugby looking for shining light’
Robin McBryde is a former Wales and Scarlets hooker
Peel faced more questions this week on the off-the-field uncertainty surrounding Welsh rugby with Scarlets and Ospreys in dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union.
There are suggestions the WRU is contemplating cutting a professional team with the two west Wales regions in a more precarious position that Cardiff and Dragons having not signed the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA).
Scarlets are the only Welsh side to have reached the play-offs during a season in which the Wales men’s national side extended their losing international streak to a record 17 matches.
Leinster have former Scarlets and Wales forwards coach Robin McBryde in their backroom staff.
McBryde stated in February he feared rugby has lost its soul in Wales and called the situation “very sad” after Warren Gatland had left his role as head coach.
“It has been a difficult year for Welsh rugby so everybody is looking for some sort of shining light,” said McBryde.
“Hopefully it [Welsh rugby] will get back to where it was before.
“I am not sure if Scarlets feel they have nothing to lose and can throw the kitchen sink at it against us.
“If so that could make them an even more dangerous team.
“It’s fuel for them to come here and prove a point. So Scarlets will turn up and fancy their chances and be a stern test for us.”
Leinster looking to recover from Northampton hangover
Leinster have not won the Champions Cup since 2018
Leinster are reeling from their Challenge Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton at the Aviva Stadium earlier this month.
“Everybody has looked at themselves across the board since the Northampton defeat,” said McBryde.
“We have had a couple of good sessions where we have had some honest feedback of where we can improve.
“We have spoken about it as players and coaches. Was our mindset in the right frame of mind going into that game? Did we think we had a right to be in the final? I don’t know.
“We have fallen short again in the Champions Cup so hopefully we can go a step further in the URC this season.”
“The URC quarter-finals gives us another opportunity to show we can do that in a knockout phase of a competition because in the last three seasons up to this point of the year we have been pretty good.
This is Leinster’s 10th successive appearance in the play-offs, but they have not won the league title since 2021, which was the last of four straight successes.
“It’s one game at a time,” said McBryde.
“If we can be good enough on the weekend and beat what is a very cohesive Scarlets team then we will end up reaching the same stage as the last three seasons.
“It will be give us an opportunity to go a step further, but that’s about it. You can’t take anything for granted and it’s all on the day.
“We have seen in the past teams come to play against Leinster in the Aviva and raise their game.
“Scarlets will be a tough nut to crack. We are going to have to take care of our own business and make sure we are learning lessons quickly.”
How they line up
Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciaran Frawley.
Scarlets: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Johnny Williams, Ellis Mee; Sam Costelow, Archie Hughes; Alec Hepburn, Ryan Elias, Henry Thomas, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod (capt), Taine Plumtree.
Replacements: Marnus van der Merwe, Kemsley Mathias, Sam Wainwright, Dan Davis, Jarrod Taylor, Efan Jones, Ioan Lloyd, Macs Page.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistant referees: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR), Federico Vedovelli (FIR)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU).
