West Country Pre Season battle for the Scarlets

The Scarlets are pleased to announce two pre-season fixtures ahead of the new 2013-14 domestic season.

First up in the double West Country battle will be Aviva Premiership outfit Exeter Chiefs at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday 17th August.

The Chiefs’ visit will mark the third encounter in pre-season battles in recent years and the visitor’s will travel to West Wales buoyed by their triumphs over the Scarlets in last season’s Heineken Cup competition.

It’ll be a big week for the region as the new 2013-14 playing kit will be launched on Tuesday 13th August before welcoming all supporters to Parc y Scarlets to kick-off the new season in style with a tough battle against Exeter Chiefs. 2013-14 Season Membership Packages will include entry to Scarlets v Chiefs, Saturday 17th August, kick-off 3pm, as a thank you to supporters for their continued support.

The second pre-season fixture will see the West Wales outfit travel to Kingsholm on Friday 30th August to take on former Scarlets Head Coach Nigel Davies’ side Gloucester.

It was Gloucester who took the spoils when the two sides last met in a pre-season fixture back in August 2010. Scarlets won their last home game against Gloucester when they met at Stradey Park in August 2006 with a 19-7 victory.

The Scarlets and Gloucester have met on no less than 97 occasions over the years with the Scarlets tipping the scale with 54 victories.

Gloucester, with the addition of Scarlets scrum half Tavis Knoyle who joins former Scarlet Davies and number 8 Ben Morgan, will look to take a scalp off their old rivals and head into their Aviva Premiership campaign with a victory under their belts.

Scarlets Head Coach, Simon Easterby said: “Pre-season games are key to us in how we approach and select for our first competitive fixtures in the RaboDirect PRO12.

“We want to get off to a very positive start and continue to build the good work we saw throughout last season which got us to a play-off position in the league.

“Getting the intensity and balance of the pre-season preparations right is crucial in how you affect the start of your competitive season. Both fixtures will give the wider Scarlets squad an opportunity to perform and show their progression over the summer.”