Scarlets up for the challenge says Easterb

The Domino’s Derby Series will see the Scarlets head to Liberty Stadium this Friday evening in a re-match of the Boxing Day clash which had all of the emotion, intensity and passion of derbies of old.

It was the Ospreys who took the silverware at Parc y Scarlets in front of a sell-out crowd on Boxing Day but the Scarlets have an early opportunity to get their hands on the South Wales Evening Post Challenge Cup at the return fixture on Friday 3rd January, kick-off 7.15pm.

Having held the lead for 72 minutes at the festive fixture the Scarlets will be looking to close out the return game and secure a much needed win in the RaboDirect PRO12.

Head Coach Simon Easterby said that the region’s efforts over the past few weeks have not returned the results that the Scarlets would have liked but the challenge at the Liberty Stadium is an opportunity to right those wrongs;

“The Boxing Day derby was a great rugby spectacle to watch. It just goes to show that regional rugby and the derbies are very much alive and kicking.

“However, for myself, the coaching team and the players it was disappointing not to get more out of the game. The boys have given a lot of effort over the last few weeks and we’ve got very little reward.

“We couldn’t have asked more from the players in terms of commitment. They gave their all and held the lead for over 70 minutes of the game but we weren’t clinical enough in the end to hold on to that lead and secure the victory.”

Currently sat in eighth position in the RaboDirect PRO12 table the Scarlets are trailing 11 points on fourth placed Glasgow and the safety of the play-off zone whilst the Ospreys are in third with 35 points.

Easterby went on to say: “There’s a lot of rugby still to be played in the league this season but we need to find our winning form again and put a few results together. It has been a tough couple of months but we know where we need to be and what we need to do to get there.

“We’ve had a good few days training and the players will put their all into Friday evening’s fixture. These games mean so much to players and coaches alike.

“After such an intense battle on Boxing Day players are carrying bumps and bruises and we’re sitting on a few injuries and will make late calls on Thursday morning.”