Scarlets Will Stay Top With A Win

Llanelli look to consolidate their place at the top of the Welsh/Scottish
League today (Saturday) with a victory over Glasgow – one of only three side’s to beat them in the competition this season.
The Scarlets went down to Glasgow at Hughendon in September the week after a
loss at Stradey Park to Swansea, who also gained a victory in the return
fixture at St Helens.
The only other team to beat the table-topping Heineken Cup semi-finalists in
the League this year are title challengers Newport, but a victory over
Glasgow at Stradey Park will guarantee the Scarlets hold on to the top spot
for another week.
Director of rugby Gareth Jenkins has injury worries over Stephen Jones (groin), Neil Boobyer (ankle) and Wayne Proctor (foot) and is resting Simon
Easterby and Martyn Madden – but his preparations for next week’s European
clash with Leicester received a massive boost when Scott Quinnell came through 80 minutes of rugby unscathed earlier in the week.
“Scott needs to get another game under his belt before the Leicester game,”
said Jenkins.
“This is not the team that we would have liked to have chosen for a game of
this magnitude, but we have been forced to make a few changes due to injuries.
“That said, the whole squad has played an equal part in our progress in the
League so far this season and, if we are going to achieve the success we want, it will be because of the quality of this squad.”
Jenkins makes eight changes, three positional, to the side that beat Pontypridd in the Principality Cup Final dress rehearsal at Stradey park
last Tuesday.
Garan Evans moves to full-back in place of Barry Davies with Mark Jones switching to the wing he vacates. Leigh Davies returns to centre with Salesi
Finau moving back to wing and Dwayne Peel is preferred to Guy Easterby at
scrum-half.
Robin McBryde comes in for Marcus Thomas at hooker, Vernon Cooper joins the second row in place of Luke Gross and David Hodges returns to the back row
for the rested Easterby.
Llanelli: Garan Evans, Mark Jones, Tal Selley, Leigh Davies, Salesi Finau,
Gareth Bowen, Dwayne Peel, Phil Booth, Robin McBryde, John Davies, Vernon
Cooper, Chris Wyatt, David Hodges, Ian Boobyer, Scott Quinnell (Captain)
Replacements: Martyn Madden, Marcus Thomas, Luke Gross, Dafydd Jones, Guy
Easterby, A.N. Other, Barry Davies