Scarlets change three for Munster clash
The Scarlets have made three changes to their starting team in preparation for the arrival of defending champions Munster in a Magners League clash on Saturday.
Simon Easterby returns at flank in one of three changes to the team that lost in Glasgow last weekend, with Rhys Thomas returning in the front row and Gareth Maule included at centre.
Maule will make his first competitive start for the region after having impressed with strong and aggressive running since joining the squad for pre-season training. The 21 year-old signed for the Scarlets from the Newport Gwent Dragons in the off-season.
Scarlets head coach Nigel Davies is eagerly anticipating Saturday’s challenge as his side bid to continue their Parc y Scarlets winning start after an opening day victory over Leinster.
He has pinpointed the breakdown as a key area and has urged his charges to match up to Munster in the physical exchanges.
“As a group we’ve trained well this week and are up for Saturday,” He told a Parc y Scarlets press conference.
“The big challenge against Munster will be their physicality – they’re honest and basic in their game plan and they bring huge intensity to the contact area.”
“We want to play with quick ball and I think we’re starting to show people what we can do when we create that, but Munster will want to stop us having that ball so that’s going to be one hell of an area this weekend.”
The big news for Munster meanwhile this weekend is the return of star scrumhalf Tomas O’Leary. After five months out with an ankle injury, O’Leary is named on the bench.
It was against this opposition in Musgrave Park that O’Leary sustained the injury that was to see him miss out on the Heineken Cup semifinal and robbed of a place on the Lions tour to South Africa.
It was originally believed that O’Leary would not be back in action until late November early December and team manager Shaun Payne was quick to hand out praise for his extraordinary recovery.
“Tomas has shown tremendous professionalism and dedication in getting himself back playing and great credit is due to him and to the work done by our medical and fitness staff. It is of course great to see him back in the squad particularly after the injury he sustained.”
O’Leary was not named in the extended squad but Peter Stringer had picked up a calf strain in the game against Cardiff Blues and that did not respond well enough to treatment during the week to allow him make the trip. Toby Morland will partner his old school mate Jeremy Manning in Parc Y Scarlets.
Coach Tony McGahan retains 21 of the 22 that saw duty against the Blues, Marcus Horan missing out this time with French international prop Julien Brugnaut coming into the front row.
Elsewhere, McGahan changes things around ever so slightly with Damien Varley starting on this occasion ahead of Denis Fogarty whom he replaced in the Blues game.
Teams:
Scarlets: 15 Daniel Evans, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Jonathan Davies, 11 Mark Jones (captain), 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 David Lyons, 7 Dafydd Jones, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Lou Reed, 3 Rhys Thomas, 2 Ken Owens 1 Iestyn Thomas
Replacements: 16 Phil John, 17 Emyr Phillips, 18 Deacon Manu, 19 Vernon Cooper, 20 Richie Pugh, 21 Lee Williams, 22 Dan Newton.
Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Barry Murphy, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Denis Hurley, 10 Jeremy Manning, 9 Toby Morlund, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 Niall Ronan, 6 Alan Quinlan, 5 Donncha Ryan, 4 Mick O’Driscoll (captain), 3 John Hayes, 2 Damien Varley, 1 Julien Brugnaut
Replacements: 16 Denis Fogarty, 17 Tony Buckland, 18 Billy Holland, 19 Tommy O’Donnell, 20 Tomas O’Leary, 21 S Deasy, 22 Tom Gleeson
Date: Saturday, September 19
Venue: Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli
Kick-off: 18:30 (17:30 GMT)
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: tba (Wales), tba (Wales)
