Scarlets skipper Josh Macleod believes his side is peaking at just the right time as they prepare to take on table-topping Leinster in the quarter finals of the BKT United Rugby Championship in Dublin.
The west Wales region are the only one of the four Welsh sides to have reached the play-offs this season, following in the footsteps of the Ospreys last winter, and the reward for their eighth-place finish is a trip to the Aviva Stadium.
“It’s been a fair while since we were last in the play-offs in 2018. This season’s had its ups and downs, but I think on a whole the team are peaking at just at the right time,” said Macleod.
“There’s a there’s a good buzz around the place and that’s really nice to see. I think the way we’ve built throughout the season has enabled us to have had some pretty good wins towards the tail end.
“The Leinster one was nice, but we’re certainly expecting a bigger challenge this weekend with different personnel. But the confidence is good, there’s no complacency, and the boys are still willing to turn up to work.
They are going to be a different animal, and we are preparing for that, but we’ve built nicely as well. We’ve got a changing room full of players who are willing to fight for each other and when you get to the quarter finals, anything can happen.
“It’s been a privilege and an honour to captain those guys. We’ve got a backdrop of players as well behind the scenes, the likes of Sam Costelow, Sam Lousi and other senior boys. who I let lead at some points.
“I feel like my only job is just to speak to the ref and deal with any decisions. It’s been it’s been a pretty easy ride, to be honest, with a cracking group of youngsters who are continuously evolving and willing to learn.”
Three of the younger players in Macleod’s ranks have been nominated for URC Young Player awards this season, new Wales caps Blair Murray and Ellis Mee, as well as former Wales U20 star Macs Page.
Murray, in particular, has taken a leading role in his first season in Welsh rugby and will offer the kind of threat that can undo the Leinster defence if given the chance. Mee will have a point to prove after being left out of this summer’s tour party to Japan, while Page is just loving life in the senior spotlight and has the pace to hurt the Irish favourites.
With only two defeats in the regular league campaign all season, Leo Cullen’s Leinster will be expecting to march into the semi-final. That said, the pressure is mounting on them to deliver a trophy having not picked up any silverware since 2021.
“This group thrives with a little bit of anxiety around the game, around the level of opposition. There’s an underlying confidence, but no complacency,” said Macleod.
“We’ve shown in the big games this season with a couple of the scalps taken against the top teams that when there’s a little bit of anxiety in the background, the boys know they’ve got to go the extra mile on the day. This weekend will be no different.”
As well as the recent reference point of their 35-22 win over Leinster at Parc y Scarlets, Macleod also remembers the great day when they turned over the Irish champions on their own patch in the semi-finals in 2017. They then returned to Dublin to overrun Munster in an epic final.
“I was holding the tackle bags that day, but I was certainly celebrating on the touchline and when we ran on at the end. It was some occasion, and I certainly remember that day!” added the Scarlets skipper.