The Dragons travel to the Parc y Scarlets this evening knowing a bonus-point victory would take them to the top of the Magners League table. (KO 7.05pm)
Paul Turner’s men go west on the back of an impressive Heineken Cup triumph over Glasgow and three wins from five attempts in domestic action so far this season.
A win of any sorts would see the Dragons move level on points with European Champions Leinster at the head of the table, while a draw would bring them level with both Ulster and the Ospreys, who currently sit second and third in the Magners League standings.
But while an exalted league position gives the Dragons a huge incentive to return from Llanelli with a win, the Scarlets go into the game in impressive form.
Nigel Davies saw his side produce a breathtaking performance against high-flying London Irish on Saturday, seven days after recording a crucial victory over French outfit Brive on the opening weekend of Heineken Cup action.
Those two wins have left Scarlets coach Davies in confident mood ahead of the first derby of the season at the Parc-y-Scarlets, with the former Welsh international centre more than happy to see his side gain some reward for what he believes has been a decent start to the new campaign.
The Scarlets may be the lowest placed Welsh region when it comes to this year’s Magners League but Davies has taken a great deal of heart from a number of their performances in the early stages of the current season.
“All bar one of the performances have been very positive for us in terms of how we’re building our game,” said Davies, ahead of this evening’s 19.05 kick-off.
“Results haven’t gone our way in the Magners League but I haven’t been frustrated with our performances.
“Our form in the league has been very good – we’ve been unlucky on a couple of occasions – and we were able to build on that during the European phase. What we have to do now is make sure that we keep going.
“We’re obviously very pleased with our last two performances but the emphasis this week has been on putting those to bed, packing them up for six weeks or so until Europe comes around again.
“In the past few days we’ve been focusing on the challenge we face on Friday which will be huge for us particularly considering where we are in the Magners League.”
Scarlets: Daniel Evans, Lee Williams, Sean Lamont, Rob Higgit, Mark Jones (C), Stehen Jones, Martin Roberts, Iestyn Thomas, Matthew Rees, Deacon Manu, Lou Reed, Dominic Day, Simon Easterby, Dafydd Jones, David Lyons
Replacements: Phil John, Ken Owens, Vernon Cooper, Richie Pugh, Tavis Knoyle, Rhys Priestland, Gareth Maule
Newport Gwent Dragons: Martyn Thomas, Aled Brew, Tom Riley, Ashley Smith, Richard Fussell, James Arlidge, Wayne Evans, Hugh Gustafson, Tom Willis (C), Peter Bracken, Robert Sidoli, Luke Charteris, Danny Lydiate, Gavin Thomas, Hoani MacDonald.
Replacements: Steve Jones, Gethin Robinson, Adam Jones, Lewis Evans, Jason Tovey, Matthew Watkins, Danny Lee
