Easterby plans a final flourish
Thu, 08 May 2008 12:52
Llanelli Scarlets skipper Simon Easterby is hoping to put a disappointing season behind him and lead his side to victory in their final Magners League game against Edinburgh at Stradey Park on Saturday.
Easterby, who has been plagued with injury this season, returns to the side at blindside flank and is determined to give the fans something to shout about as they head into the off-season.
"It's been a frustrating season, we've struggled in a lot of areas," he admitted.
"As players our standards have dropped and our win ratio has been very poor. We've got the most losing points in the Magners League, but that's no good to anyone as we need to be winning those games. We've got to make sure we are in the game in the last quarter and go on to win."
With the Welsh contingent unavailable due to a training week in Ireland, acting coach Paul Moriarty has name a fresh-faced side with teenage fullback Daniel Evans making an appearance alongside sevens specialist Johnathan Edwards.
"This is a great chance for the younger guys," explained Moriarty.
"Daniel Evans and Jonny Edwards have not had a look in for while. This is a great opportunity for the younger guys to come in and take the lead rather than wait for Simon [Easterby], Deacon [Manu] or Vern [Cooper] to take the lead. This game may not count for anything, but we need something to go into the off-season with something positive behind us."
Llanelli Scarlets: 15 Daniel Evans, 14 Dafydd James, 13 Matthew Watkins, 12 Gavin Evans, 11 Nathan Brew, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Liam Davies, 8 James Bater, 7 Johnathan Edwards, 6 Simon Easterby (captain), 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Vernon Cooper, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Iestyn Thomas, 17 Ken Owens, 18 Lou Reed, 19 Nathan Thomas, 20 Gavin Cattle, 21 Ceiron Thomas, 22 Darren Daniel.
Date: Saturday, May 10
Venue: Stradey Park, Llanelli
Kick-off: 17.30 (16.30 GMT)
Referee: David Wilkinson (Ireland)
Touch judges: Tim Hayes (Wales), Simon Harris (Wales)
Television match official: Tony Rowlands (Wales)
