Scarlets are hoping to have Wales wing Tommy Rogers back in their squad for the Judgement Day X clash with Dragons at Principality Stadium after his recovery from a broken thumb suffered against Scotland in the Guinness Six Nations.
Outside half Sam Costelow is also recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the season but isn’t expected to figure this weekend. However, he could well figure in the final three matches of the BKT United Rugby Championship.
The Scarlets are currently one of three teams on 33 points, along with Ospreys and Connacht. Ther Stormers are just above them in 10th with 35 points and then come three teams on 36 points.
Cardiff are in ninth, just outside the play-offs, while Benetton Rugby and Edinburgh are in the two places above them in the play-off places. Ulster are in sixth with 37 points and Munster in fifth with 39.
“This is an important match for us because it is very, very tight in the table and points are important for all of us with only four games left to play. But there is still all to play for,” said head coach Dwaye Peel.
“The next four weeks will be big for us in understanding the growth we have made this season. I wanted the team to be more competitive in every game, and we have done that.
“There haven’t been too many games in which we haven’t been competitive and there are a number we might have won with a bit more luck. That would have put us in a better position.
“We know we will have to get out performance right to get anything out of the game against the Dragons. They will want to get among us and it’s going to be a huge battle at the breakdown.
“They’ve got a number of Welsh internationals in their ranks and with the likes of Elliot Dee, Aaron Wainwright and Taine Basham in their pack they will definitely be up for it.
“There are five points at stake at Principality Stadium, and we are preparing for a big battle. Our destiny is still in our own hands, and that’s all we can ask for.
“We can still force our way into the play-offs and we know that other teams are going to take points of each other.”
After taking on the Dragons on Saturday the Scarlets then have to prepare to meet table-topping Leinster at Parc y Scarlets the following weekend.
They will end their regular season campaign, along with the three other regions, with two games in South Africa against the Lions and Sharks.
One thing Peel is hoping for at the business end of the season is for his team to make better starts than in recent outings. In their last two games, both against the Ospreys, they found themselves trailing 17-0 in as many minutes and then 12-0 after only four minutes in the European Round of 16 defeat.
“The two starts against the Ospreys were disappointing and we have had to adjust certain things in our game plan,” added Peel.
“We understand we have to be better than we have been in the first 10 minutes of matches. There is no panic about it, but we do need to be better.”