Scarlets vs Blues

Scarlets v Cardiff Blues

Saturday 5 May 7.30pm kick off at Parc y Scarlets


Blues Team

Cardiff Blues 15 Chris Czekaj 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Casey Laulala 12 Dafydd Hewitt 11 Harry Robinson 10 Ceri Sweeney 9 Lloyd Williams

8 Andries Pretorius 7 Josh Navidi 6 Maama Molitika 5 James Down 4 Bradley Davies 3 Scott Andrews 2 Marc Breeze 1 Gethin Jenkins

16 Kristian Dacey 17 John Yapp 18 Ryan Harford 19 Macauley Cook 20 Luke Hamilton 21 Richie Rees 22 Dan Parks 23 Gavin Evans

Leigh Halfpenny- shoulder
Michael Paterson- shoulder
Xavier Rush- neck
Ryan Tyrrel - neck
Jamie Roberts- knee
Sam Warburton- shoulder
T Rhys Thomas- neck
Paul Tito- head
Richard Mustoe- hip
Fau Filise- shoulder
Deiniol Jones- retired
Ben Blair- knee
Martyn Williams- shoulder
Tom James- neck

Pretty much an entire first team injured at the moment.


Scarlets Side

Liam Williams
Sean Lamont
Nick Reynold
Stephen Jones
Andy Fenby
Rhys Priestland
Gareth Davies

Rhodri Jones
Ken Owens
Deacon Manu
Aaron Shingler
Dom Day
Keiran Murphy
Josh Turnbull
Ben Morgan

(Emyr Phillips, Phil John, Simon Gardener, Damien Welch, Jonathan Edwards, Tavis Knoyle, Adam Warren, Viliame Iongi)

I am a bit disappointed to see so many out injured for the Blues. Especially when you see some of the quality that is missing.

That said the Blues side doesn't look too shabby, although they will probably be wanting to keep the starting XV on as long as possible looking at the bench.

Should be a good match though. And apparenty all four stands will be open due to the demand for tickets. FIngers crossed we can have some good weather, and have a good last match of the season.

Gutted Martyn won't be playing, I would have loved to have seen him play once last time.

Hope he's there anyway and they announce his retirement so we can give him a proper send off anyways.

rugbydreamer wrote:Gutted Martyn won't be playing, I would have loved to have seen him play once last time.

Hope he's there anyway and they announce his retirement so we can give him a proper send off anyways.

That will be at the Baabaas match, when Gatland bends on his ruling about not gifting caps without people deserving them.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

rugbydreamer wrote:Gutted Martyn won't be playing, I would have loved to have seen him play once last time.

Hope he's there anyway and they announce his retirement so we can give him a proper send off anyways.

That will be at the Baabaas match, when Gatland bends on his ruling about not gifting caps without people deserving them.

If anyone deserves 100caps its Martyn. He has also been playing very well recently, so if Tipuric and Warburton are not available, Martyn is probably the form choice as well - even if he isn't one for the future.

606 - I will agree to disagree on that one.

Dreamer - According to the Scarlets site we will get to see a presentation and fairwell to our exiting Scarlets at the end of the match.

We also urge supporters to remain in their seats after the final whistle as we'll have a special presentation for Stephen Jones, Rhys Thomas, Iestyn Thomas, Dominic Day, Ben Morgan and Sean Lamont.

I would say Shingler or Turnbull would be ahead of him at 7 to be honest.

SS - aye I know he'll probs play for the Baabaa's but I won't be going to that match. I just meant for me personally getting to watch him play live again. Ah well

And yeah was reading about that presentation, I really think I might be in at the end of the match. Gutted to be losing so many, and some so unexpectedly as well.

Scarlets Side

Liam Williams
Sean Lamont
Nick Reynold
Stephen Jones
Andy Fenby
Rhys Priestland
Gareth Davies

Rhodri Jones
Ken Owens
Deacon Manu
Aaron Shingler
Dom Day
Keiran Murphy
Josh Turnbull
Ben Morgan

(Emyr Phillips, Phil John, Simon Gardener, Damien Welch, Jonathan Edwards, Tavis Knoyle, Adam Warren, Viliame Iongi)

Reynolds starting over Warren?? Can't understand that myself.

Otherwise I like that look of that. Shame Foxy and Williams couldn't get themselves fit for this one though.

Dreamer - I would agree with you on Turnbull and Shingler. Hopefully we will not feel too gutted at the end of the match, as we would have picked up our winning bonus point and Connacht would have stuffed Glasgow ans we will be all happy.

Warren over Jones or Reynold surely!

Reynold vs Laulaula

Interesting...

SS - I like your way of thinking!!

Wales - Stevo is probably a better centre than either of them, but I loved how he and Warren worked as a partnership against Munster, so just can't understand Warren not starting myself.

Reynolds wasn't all that great out in Italy the other week, be interesting to see if he can improve on that performance at all. It's a risk, not sure it's one I'm happy with.

rugbydreamer wrote:SS - I like your way of thinking!!

Wales - Stevo is probably a better centre than either of them, but I loved how he and Warren worked as a partnership against Munster, so just can't understand Warren not starting myself.

Reynolds wasn't all that great out in Italy the other week, be interesting to see if he can improve on that performance at all. It's a risk, not sure it's one I'm happy with.

Jones is a good 2nd distributer in midfield, but he doesn't offer the same running threat that Warren has, I don't know what Reynolds has over Warren though.

no he doesn't offer a running threat, but he did to be fair get an intercept against Munster and slipped the most delightful pass for Shinglers try!). With our current injuries he really is one of the best options for us now (even if I was dubious about it a few weeks back when we first started playing him there)

My God I'm really not with it today, have only just noticed that Georgie is neither starting or on the bench! Argh!

Still, Monty is fab and will want to give his all for his last game, and Crazylegs has been in some great form to be fair.

Not a bad Blues side, a lot of Scarlets missing through injury!

Injured Scarlets

Stoddard
North
Scott Williams
JD2
Iestyn
Smiler
Rhys Thomas
Reed
Timani
Macusker

All of whom would have probably started if fit!

Andreus Pretorious, welcome back to rugby

0 - 7 Blues

3 minutes player

Perfect start, Gethin Jenkins turnover machine and neat playmaking from Laulaula put Pretorious in on the wing from 20m out.

ah we gonna use this one are we 606?

A great tackle from Hewitt stops Scarlets momentum in the Blues 22 and they go back for the penalty advantage in front of the posts. Stops a likely try though - Blues defence being smashed a bit too easily

3 - 7

AlynDavies wrote:ah we gonna use this one are we 606?

Theres another one?

I put links to all 3 games in another thread so all 3 could be watched at once

Some neat phases from the Blues forwards, carrying well and L.Williams executing well at the base. Comes too nothing though as Sweeney throws a slight forwards pass to try to put Cuthbert into space.

Scarlets backs Vs Cardif forwards by the look of it so far.

Cracking game so far, blues look really up for this game which makes a nice change. Blues should be ahead but a great stop by Lamont.

brilliant from the blues then! navidi impresses me more every time i see him play!

Navidi is getting very very good.

Both teams have given up the ghost of winning anything now and decided to play, what a start to the 2nd half, offloading for fun it's a joy to watch!!!

That Blues try shouldve been given!

Great try, handling of the highest order

another try from great handling!!! what a game!

WHAT A TRY, anything you can do we can do too!!!

This is what I want to see, 2 teams throwing the kitchen sink at each other!!

Great try again, at this rate both sides will get the bonus point. This is the rugby that advertises summer rugby for me.

glamorganalun wrote:Great try, handling of the highest order

Are these two teams on drugs, even Parks is playing well

Parks goea to the line??? Takes it up and offloads

WTF is going on... and why hasn't it been going on all season?!

I have been watching the crap served up this afternoonm with Northampton the game was not a patch on this game.

Ye I watched that garbage too!! Well except for the first 10 mins, that was ok.

thebluesmancometh wrote:Parks goea to the line??? Takes it up and offloads

WTF is going on... and why hasn't it been going on all season?!

hopefully we'll have pleanty of it next season! what a send off for the departing players!

Only scrums could kill this game...

Knoyle has his work cut out to follow Davies, there is so much action I am glad I am taping the Ospreys for later.

The fun seems to be over, normal play resumes, scrum whistle kick whistle scrum whistle!

Day has had a cracking game so far he is quick around the parl, shame he is off he seems to be in very good form

Didnt realise this was hear, ive been on the other thread.

glamorganalun wrote:Knoyle has his work cut out to follow Davies, there is so much action I am glad I am taping the Ospreys for later.

Scrum, penalty, scrum penalty, pretty much story of the game to be honest. With a lot of Ospreys ill discpline.

Blues have narrowly missed out on 2 tries and that 5m scrum should have been another - They wont be happy if they lose

Stephen Jones off for the the last time as a Scarlets.

Brilliant applause from the crowd.

Scarlets have no chance for the play off's as Glasgow are out of sight.

Were lucky the Aironi kicker cant kick, he's blown a lot of chances to get aironi back into the game.

5 kicks straight out from the Blues this evening - that is very poor.

Gavin Evans on the wing

Scarlets finish their chance

22 - 20

another great try and handling, I suspect the blues will be back in the game