After losing out narrowly on home soil last weekend, the Scarlets say they have the will and belief to secure a win away from home in this crucial fourth round tie between the top two teams in Pool One.
With two wins under their belts, against Castres and a bonus point victory (28-23) against last season’s Heineken Cup finalists Northampton Saints, the Scarlets sit in second in on 10 points behind Munster’s 12.
Munster’s 17-14 triumph put them at the top of Pool 1 as they made it three out of three and inflicted the first defeat of the competition on the home side.
Scarlets Head of Rugby Nigel Davies said they’d used the frustration of last weekend to bring a positive push and focus in their preparations and training this week.
He said: “We all know we had opportunities to win that game and there was room for improvement in our performance – we’ve focused on key aspects of our game, putting those things right so we go out there with the belief that we can shake it up away from home.
“It’s quite an important moment for these players on Sunday, they’ve developed, there’s a huge amount of potential in them but they’re not Scarlets ‘youngsters’ any longer. They have to be able to produce performances in the very top games in Europe – and this is one.
“It’s time to stand up and be counted and take that step now; we can either be a great team that just falls short in Europe or one that is able to win the top European encounters with the talent we have.
“I believe in this team and it has a lot more to show, but individually now’s the time to step it up and they know that. We can either accept where we are or be hard on ourselves.”
In the starting line-up, Davies has opted to move Rhys Priestland to full-back and giving experienced European campaigner, Stephen Jones the 10 jersey opposite Ronan O’Gara.
Davies said: “This is a vital game for us as in Europe and we must get our best players on the field. The team knows that – Rhys is a key Scarlets No 10, he knows that, however in support of the best line-up and getting our strongest team on the park he will support his colleagues and will be a strong option for us at full-back. “
Iestyn Thomas is not available for selection with illness, wing George North has failed to fully recover from his dead leg and did not pass today’s (Fri) late fitness test. Aaron Shingler is ruled out with a toe sprain.
Scarlets v Munster Sunday 18th December 2011, Thomond Park:
15 Rhys Priestland 14 Liam Williams, 13 Scott Williams 12 Jon Davies, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 1 Rhodri Jones, 2 Matthew Rees (capt), 3 Rhys Thomas, 4 Lou Reed, 5 Damian Welch 6 Rob McCusker, 7 Johnathan Edwards, 8 Ben Morgan
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Phil John, 18 Deacon Manu, 19 Sione Timani, 20 Kieran Murphy, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Gareth Maule, 23 Viliame Iongi
