Dwayne Peel’s side have to win to remain in contention in Europe
Blair Murray returns from injury for the Scarlets(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Blair Murray has given Wales head coach Steve Tandy a Six Nations fitness boost after recovering from an ankle injury to start for the Scarlets in their must-win Champions Cup clash against Pau on Saturday (8pm).
The Wales full-back suffered what appeared to be a nasty ankle injury in the victory over Cardiff in December and there were fears he would spend a lengthy period on the sidelines. But he has returned to boost the struggling Scarlets ahead of what is a vital Champions Cup encounter.
The Scarlets have lost their opening two European fixtures, against Bristol Bears and Bordeaux, respectively.
But a victory over Top 14 flyers Pau at Parc y Scarlets would give Dwayne Peel’s side a reasonable chance of reaching the knockout stages in either the Champions Cup or the second-tier Challenge Cup.
The Scarlets are also boosted by the return of influential Tongan lock Sam Lousi, who will make his 100th appearance for the Welsh club.
Murray is joined in the back-three by Tom Rogers and Ellis Mee, while Eddie James and Joe Roberts are the centres.
Joe Hawkins continues in the number 10 jersey in the absence of Sam Costelow but Archie Hughes starts ahead of Gareth Davies who is missing from the 23 altogether.
Up-front Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias and Henry Thomas form a strong front-row with Jake Ball also returning from injury to partner Lousi at lock.
Taine Plumtree, Josh Macleod and Fletcher Anderson make up a dynamic back-row.
Despite the return of some key personnel the Scarlets are missing some important players, with Australian lock Max Douglas suspended after his red card against the Dragons, while Costelow, Johnny Williams and Archer Holz are injured.
“We are all obviously disappointed with the two results against the Ospreys and Dragons,” said Peel.
“There has been a lot of honesty about where we need to improve and now it’s about how we react against a side sitting second in the Top 14.
“We fought hard to qualify for the Champions Cup and we feel we deserve to be here.
“We have shown we can be really competitive against top sides like Bristol and Bordeaux and we still have an opportunity for knockout rugby.
“This is a huge game for us and one we are all excited about.”
The game is live on S4C and Premier Sports at 8pm.
Scarlets: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Joe Roberts, Eddie James, Ellis Mee; Joe Hawkins, Archie Hughes; Kemsley Mathias, Ryan Elias, Henry Thomas, Sam Lousi, Jake Ball, Taine Plumtree, Josh Macleod (captain), Fletcher Anderson.
Replacements: Marnus van der Merwe, Alec Hepburn, Harri O’Connor, Jac Price, Dan Davis, Dane Blacker, Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, Ioan Nicholas.