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Davies hopes Scarlets are peaking at the right time

Davies hopes Scarlets are peaking at the right time

Nigel Davies hopes the Scarlets will peak at the right time as they push for a RaboDirect PRO12 play-off place.

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The west Wales outfit enhanced their play-off credentials with a bonus-point victory over Cardiff Blues last weekend and lie just one-point off the top four.

They travel to Edinburgh tomorrow night as the scramble for play-off positions intensifies and Davies has urged his side to continue the form that has seen them clinch three consecutive bonus-point wins.

“I hope we’re peaking at the right tine,” said Davies. “We have had three good wins. We have not been 100 per cent comfortable with our performances, but there again you can’t argue when you pick up bonus point wins.

“We are doing some good stuff without the ball, but we need to ally that with being a bit more clinical with the ball. There is a lot more in us.

“The PRO12 could well go down to that last game against the Blues. We have Munster at home as well, which is going to be a huge fixture for us. The good thing is a lot of the other teams do play each other so they are going to drop points.

“At this moment in time we are in quite a good position even though we are not in the play-offs.

“We would certainly have settled to be where we are right now at the start of the season, but what we can’t afford to do is let the opportunity go away from us.

“There is nothing in it and I am sure if we win all our remaining games we will get there. It is easy to say that, not so easy to do.”

Edinburgh have endured a torrid run of results and have not won in the league this year. But they also had one eye on the Heineken Cup quarter-final showdown with Toulouse and have been boasted by nine returning internationals.

“They have had the vast majority of their squad away for recent games and hardly played any of their first team last weekend,” said Davies.

“We are going to come up against a very focused side who are preparing for a home quarter-final in the Heineken Cup which is a great achievement. They have got a lot of quality players who are desperate to win.

“These Scottish guys are very keen to put in a big performance and get a result.

“You don’t get into the quarter-finals of Europe by not having the ability to win matches and they have certainly got that. With a full strength squad they will be a very dangerous team.”

But Davies is set to welcome back more of his Wales Grand Slam heroes, including Rhys Priestland, who has been struggling with a knee niggle.

“We integrated some of the internationals into the game last weekend. Rhys wasn’t available, that was the advice medically. With a big run-in to the season it is about how you manage your squad.”

 

L Williams; G North, G Maule, J Davies, A Fenby; R Priestland, G Davies; R Jones, M Rees (capt), D Manu, S Timani, D Day, J Turnbull, J Edwards, K Murphy.

Replacements: K Owens, P John, P Edwards, D Welch, M Gilbert, L Davies, S Jones, S Lamont.

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