The Scarlets will rest some of their leading players this weekend to keep them fresh for the following Saturday’s European Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster in Dublin.
It is the first time the Scarlets have reached the last four in Europe since 2007 and they need one victory from their final two Pro 14 matches to secure a home draw in the play-offs.
Wales open talks with Wayne Pivac about succeeding Warren Gatland
“We are where we wanted to be at this stage of the season and it provides a real test of your squad depth,” said Wayne Pivac, as he prepared for Saturday’s trip to Edinburgh. “We are managing players in terms of their volume load.”
The Scarlets coach added: “It was important to back up last season’s achievement of winning the league. Europe was the next frontier and there is a great buzz in the town ahead of the semi-final. There were fantastic stories last year about how supporters got to Dublin for the final [against Munster] and they are happening again.”
The Scarlets attracted a record crowd of more than 15,000 at Parc y Scarlets for last month’s Champions Cup quarter-final against La Rochelle and more than 10,000 turned up for Saturday’s Pro 14 match against Glasgow, their second highest league attendance of the season.
“That was pleasing,” said Pivac, a contender to succeed Warren Gatland as Wales’s coach after next year’s World Cup. “We are not based in a major city and we do not have access to big international companies. We are very much a community and what brings crowds is not just success but the brand of rugby we play.
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“There is no painting by numbers at the Scarlets. We do not want stereotype players or robots here where it is very much about backing the skills of the players. We have a gameplan but within that there is a lot of freedom to play. We want players who make good decisions under pressure.”
The Scarlets have signed the Cheetahs full-back Clayton Blommetjies for next season having earlier this year secured the signature of his team-mate Uzair Cassiem, a back-row. Pivac said: “When we look to sign players, we know the positions and skills we are looking for, but what is also important is the type of people they are because we have a good environment here. The players enjoy coming to work and it is about the person as well as rugby ability.
“The Cheetahs boys are both good people and they will bring something to the group which is slightly different. I have been lucky in my career to have been in winning cultures so I know what one looks like. It’s about the way you play the game and how you treat people.”