Scarlets have named an exciting blend of youth and experience for Saturday’s BKT United Rugby Championship clash with DHL Stormers in Cape Town (15:00 UK time), with a side showing six personnel changes from their bonus-point victory over Newcastle Red Bulls.
The Scarlets head into the contest on the back of successive victories over Benetton and the Red Bulls, determined to build on that momentum against one of the URC’s strongest sides.
With five of the Scarlets’ Wales squad members at home, director of rugby Nigel Davies has made a reshuffle to his backline and up front presenting opportunities for emerging talent while retaining an experienced core.
In the back three, Ioan Nicholas makes his first URC appearance of the season at full-back, with Ioan Jones coming onto the right wing and the in-form Macs Page continuing on the left.
Joe Hawkins returns to the starting line-up at inside centre, replacing the injured Johnny Williams (calf) and partners Joe Roberts in midfield.
At fly-half, eighteen-year-old Carwyn Leggatt-Jones earns his first URC appearance of the campaign following impressive performances in training. He partners Dane Blacker, who returns at scrum-half, with experienced Wales international Gareth Anscombe providing a valuable option from the bench.
Up front, Kemsley Mathias, John McKee and Harri O’Connor continue in the front row, Sam Lousi switches to the second row to link up with Alex Groves – who will come up against his former Stormers team-mates – while Taine Plumtree starts at blindside alongside No.8 Fletcher Anderson and skipper Josh Macleod.
There are also some significant milestones on the horizon among the replacements. Isaac Murray-Macgregor is in line for his URC debut, George Roberts is poised for his first competitive appearance of the campaign, while scrum-half Archie Hughes could make his 50th appearance for the club if he comes off the bench.
Director of Rugby Nigel Davies said: “The Stormers are an outstanding side, packed with international quality, and playing them in Cape Town is one of the toughest challenges in the URC. We have enormous respect for them, but we’re here to compete, to challenge ourselves against the best.
“We’ve taken confidence from our last two performances. We’ve shown what we can do with the ball, and defensively we took a significant step forward against Newcastle. The challenge now is to bring those elements together and deliver them consistently for 80 minutes at the intensity this fixture will command.
“We’ve selected a side that reflects both where we are now and where we want to go as a club. Carwyn has earned his opportunity through the way he’s trained and developed, and having someone of Joe Hawkins’s experience alongside him will be important. Gareth (Anscombe) has been excellent within our environment and will have a significant role to play as the game unfolds.
“These are exactly the sort of experiences that accelerate the development of young players. We want to give them opportunities, but we’re not selecting them simply for experience. They’re here because we believe they can contribute to our team winning rugby matches.
“Ultimately, we want to be a team that plays with courage, that works relentlessly for each other and that is prepared to take the game to the opposition. We will have to fight for every moment and be bold enough to impose ourselves on the game. That’s the challenge, and it’s one we’re looking forward to.”
Scarlets team versus DHL Stormers (DHL Stadium, Saturday, October 24, 15:00 UK time; Premier Sports)
15 Ioan Nicholas; 14 Ioan Jones, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Macs Page; 10 Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, 9 Dane Blacker; 1 Kemsley Mathias, 2 John McKee, 3 Harri O’Connor, 4 Alex Groves, 5 Sam Lousi, 6 Taine Plumtree, 7 Josh Macleod (capt), 8 Fletcher Anderson.
Reps: 16 George Roberts, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Gabe Hawley, 19 Harvey Cuckson, 20 Dan Davis, 21 Archie Hughes, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Isaac Murray-Macgregor.
Unavailable because of illness/injury
Johnny Williams, Archer Holz, Tristan Davies, Will Evans, Harry Thomas, Isaac Young, Elis Price.