Final Scarlets Line Up For This Season

Cardiff Blues Team
15 Dan Fish
14 Jamie Roberts
13 Casey Laulala
12 Dafydd Hewitt
11 Chris Czekaj
10 Dan Parks
9 Richie Rees

8 Xavier Rush
7 Martyn Williams
6 Sam Warburton
5 Paul Tito (c)
4 Michael Paterson
3 Taufa'ao Filise
2 Gareth Williams
1 Sam Hobbs

Replacements: Rhys Williams, Tom Davies, Scott Andrews, Deiniol Jones, Ma'ama Molitika, Lloyd Williams, Ceri Sweeney, Harry Robinson

Scarlets Team:

15 Morgan Stoddart,
14 George North,
13 Regan King,
12 Scott Williams,
11 Sean Lamont,
10 Stephen Jones,
9 Tavis Knoyle,

8 Ben Morgan,
7 Johnathan Edwards,
6 Rob McCusker,
5 Dominic Day,
4 Lou Reed,
3 Rhys Thomas,
2 Matthew Rees (capt),
1 Iestyn Thomas

Replacements: Emyr Phillips, Phil John, Peter Edwards, David Lyons, Richie Pugh, Martin Roberts, Rhys Priestland, Lee Williams.


Never fought i would see the day but out pack looks far better than the Blues, and our backs look good too. Fingers crossed we send Regan and Roberts off in true Scarlets Style

I can't believe this could be our last game of the season, I don't know how I'm going to cope over the summer!

I am happy with that team, loving our backs, and you are right about the pack!

Really hope we can make this a memorable last game for those leaving the Scarlets. I'm so glad I'm going to this one, I would hate to have missed Regan King's last game!

I hope we can win this one, we have the team to do it, they just need to step up and preform!

dreamer - I am with you about not believing it is the end of the season already. That said it may not be the last game at the parc this season. All we have to do is win this, Aironi win their match, beat Munster in Ireland and then its another home match for the final (or i beleive it works that way).

I forgot to mention I am very glad to see Little Lee back on the bench, hoepfully he can do one of his classic runs for us.

aye I know SS, tis why I said it 'could be' our last game - I'm hoping for a mere miracle in results this weekend to help us out in that!

Little Lee is good, not sure I would like him facing up to Jamie Roberts on the wing though!

Ah i think Lee is very under-rated when it comes to defense. What he lacks in size he makes up for in technique. Guess we will see what happens when the teams trot out. That said I wouldn't rule out one of the teams changing their line up in before kick off.

Roberts on the wing, mmmm. Gatland playing a hand there?
The blues front row looks weak and the Scarlets front row could well get the better of them, should.
Backrow will be very interesting, Nugget smiling as he cons the ref?
Who is the ref by the way, if it;s Nige you are home and dry.
Could yet make the playoffs, Dont ever write Aironi off, next season they will take loads of scalps and will want to start this.
One more interesting match up is Tavis V Rees, will Tavis keep his cool if he doesn't SJ will need his step ladder for some passes.

Finally, even though you could do for us, I wish you all the best primarily because I was unhappy with DY's words after the Dragons game.

:run1:

Ospreylian - cheers I missed his words after the Dragons game though - what did he say?

And yep as far as I'm aware the lovely Nige is the ref

Ospreylian

Gats has nothing to do with Roberts on the wing - Mustoe, Halfpenny and James are injured :/, so it was either putting Robinson (whose 18 and has only played 1 Blues game) on the wing or starting Hewitt and having Roberts move - easy choice considering Hewitt has played a lot this year.

Blues side looks VERY weak - far too many injuries

Dai said something about the Dragons just making 3 passes and kicking - which was a bit harsh, but to be fair Tovey did pin us back in our half for most of the game and make us play from deep, which probably annoyed Dai as Parks couldnt kick back :/

ah right, thanks wales606!

I don't think your team is that weak, your backrow is v good. I am also worried about what the likes of Laulala, Roberts and Hewitt can do against King and Williams. Not sure they've ever played there together before, plus King isn't the strongest in defence. It could be a weak area for us.

This game is going to close, I'm really nervous about it now!

...

G'wan Scarlets

Wales 606 - what has happened to Gavin Evans? He has played on the wing for the Blues before and dine a decent enough job, and in the centre i think he would do a job as king and co know him, and what he can do.

wales606 wrote:Dai said something about the Dragons just making 3 passes and kicking - which was a bit harsh, but to be fair Tovey did pin us back in our half for most of the game and make us play from deep, which probably annoyed Dai as Parks couldnt kick back :/

Aye and he also said "We came here to play rugby, and we went through the phases."

Typical Dai young, 'twas he that first called the Ospreys "the dream team", guess he sits awake at night dreaming these things up?!?!?!?

I have a bad feeling that this is going to end up as the decider for who goes into teh play offs out of the Blues and Ospreys, all depending on who plays the best negative rugby, with at most two tries scored the whole game.

SS cool it! It's just the nerves getting to you.

Bad luck Scarlets. Ospreys got the win they needed despite being lousy all night, but the Scarlets played some great stuff tonight and are most certainly both a team "on the up" AND one of the best teams to watch in the UK.

I am embarrassed that the region I support has made the playoffs whilst playing without ambition, without passion and, indeed, without much of a clue as to HOW to play the game.

Yes bad luck Scarlets.

I take little pleasure from my team getting to the playoffs, but the table doesn't lie.
Now the priority for the Scarlets has to be BUILD A PACK, do that and the future looks good.
If the aim for the regions is to win the Heineken ( and it has to be) then this is a must.
A better defence would also be a bonus.

Ospreylian - building a pack has been our aim for the last couple of seasons!! Thought some of our players like Reed really stepped it up yesterday. And I can't believe how well we continued to play even with 2 hookers packing down in the back row! Mental match, but glad the Scarlets finished it on a high. Twas an electric atmosphere at Y Parc, and the Blues really helped to make a great game of it. Loved it!

Yes RD but I am talking about the front five.
Iestyn is great but he aint exactly Scarlet to the core any more than roller skates is, and it's that you have to sort out. Not too difficult with all the farmers around the region.
Tell me, watching what was an amazing game on TV, I was struck by THAT guy who screams "SCARLETS" constantly throughout the games, did he have his family with him? Is he really training more to shout like he does?

Ha, I've stood by that guy before at matches, can't believe how loud he can shout out Scarlets. He usually has some friends and family with him, always gets the rest of the crowd going too

With regards to the front row we've discovered Simon Gardiner, Emyr Phillips and Rhodri Jones this season who are all incredibly young and as far as I'm aware are from the region. We also have discovered an older and more hardened prop in Peter Edwards. I have no fears for out front row in years to come. The amount of injuries we've had there this season has meant we've had to develop some far quicker then we would have!

My major area of concern (as always!) is the 2nd row. I though Lou Reed and Dom Day really stepped it up yesterday, but I hope we get to play Welch a lot more next season. The only worrying thing is that there doesn't seem to be many youngsters coming through in that position. If we ever get any money, it is definitely the position we need to spend it on!

Second Row forwards have been a perennial problem for us here in Wales. I cant remember a time (and I can remember back to the beginning of the 70s rugby-wise!) when Wales had more than a handful of true international class locks in the whole country.

We just do not breed that many Athletic, fit, powerful guys who are 6ft 4/6ft 5 or more! And now the requirement is for the whole of the back 5 forwards to be of that sort of size, those we do have have to cover even MORE positions!

The Scarlets pack is improving though and with the wealth of talent they are developing in the backs, I fancy they will continue to become more successful.