Simon Easterby’s side know there is little room for manoeuvre given that they are 13 points of the fourth-placed Ospreys with just seven games remaining but victory over the table toppers would send out a real signal of intent as the season heads towards its climax.
That task certainly won’t be easy, though, given that the Irish giants were 25-11 winners over the Ospreys in Swansea last Sunday and have lost just twice in the league all season. Rob Penney’s troops may not have as many star names as in the past but they have been ultra consistent in the RaboDirect PRO12 this term and have only been beaten once since a surprise reverse at Treviso in mid-September.
But the Scarlets certainly won’t be overawed by that record, especially as they came within a whisker of beating Munster at Musgrave Park in December. Only a last-gasp try in an extensive period of injury time robbed them of a famous victory in Cork and last season’s semi-finalists know that they are more capable of completing the job in West Wales.
The Scarlets head into what could be a thrilling encounter on the back of a narrow but deserved win over Edinburgh last time out as a brace of Jordan Williams tries and one from Adam Warren saw them see off the Scots 25-21. Captain Rob McCusker admits the level of performance wasn’t quite up to the desired standard but he believes the Scarlets faithful will witness a step up in intensity on Saturday.
“We thought there was more in us than we showed against Edinburgh and we were all disappointed at the end of the game,” said McCusker. “We put quite a lot of pressure on ourselves last weekend but were fortunate that we were able to get those early points back. We definitely won’t be able to do that against Munster.
“Munster can compete and be a challenge for us whoever they bring on the weekend. We need another win to keep the pressure on the teams above us: we’re conscious that we need the points and the performance and hopefully that will show come Saturday.”
The Scarlets have been handed a huge boost this week with the news that Wales centre Jonathan Davies has been declared fit to feature for his region. Davies has seen just 40 minutes of action since early November and has missed the last six internationals with a pectoral injury he picked up in the opening Dove Men Series Test with South Africa.
The British & Irish Lions Test star had returned from the summer tour of Hong Kong and Australia as one of the continent’s form players but his season was disrupted when he attempted to tackle Springbok skipper Jean de Villiers early in the first half of Wales’ 24-15 defeat in Cardiff.
Davies sat out the autumn games against Argentina, Tonga and Australia as a result and has also watched on enviously as Wales faced Italy, Ireland and France in the first three rounds of the 6 Nations. He briefly returned to the Scarlets side for their LV= Cup clash at London Irish earlier this month but has since continued his recovery away from a game environment.
