Having come through a campaign causing more than one or two surprises amongst the league’s big hitters, former Wales scrum-half Peel is relishing the prospect of going toe-to-toe with the Irish powerhouse province.
“It is an exciting week for everyone. We have worked hard to get here, now we have to embrace it,” said Peel in his pre-match press conference.
“We have a big task going to Dublin, the tactical side is important, but we have to embrace the play-offs and make the most of it now we are here.
“I am pleased for everyone that we have got to this point because of the effort that has been put in, staff and players alike.
“We want to go further and push a great team like Leinster as far as we can. There is no greater task in club rugby, but we’re looking forward to it
“We won’t shy away from it, understanding the challenge is a big thing and knowing we have to be at our very best to push them and that is what we need to aim for.
“We are confident in our own ability, all we can do is look at ourselves and give our best account.
“It is going to be a great occasion, it is not about chasing four or five points, it is knockout rugby, and it is all on the day.
“As much as they have some star, world-class names in their group, we have some pretty good players in ours. The strength of the group is big for us, and we are going to have to give it the best we can.
“We are going to have to be brave, and we are going to have to be accurate. A slip in concentration and they can hurt you. That is the respect everyone has for Leinster.
“You can’t sit on your heels, they are too good a team, we are not going there to soak up pressure and see what happens. We have to play the Scarlets way and put our stamp on the game. That is the reality of it.”
Scarlets have travelled to the Irish capital without the experience of veteran scum-half Gareth Davies who is missing with a rib injury. 34-year-old Davies suffered the injury in the victory against Lions in South Africa, and despite being back on the training pitch, Peel explained Davies will not feature in Dublin on Saturday.
“He’s been an outstanding operator for us this year,” continued Peel.
“But he’s going to struggle to make it this weekend.
“He was running this morning. One thing you know about him is that he won’t quit. If there’s a sniff of him having a chance to play, he’ll give it everything.
“But I think Archie [Hughes] has proven his worth over the last two games for us. That’s exciting for me.
“Archie coming on against the Lions, we were in a tough spot when he came on and it was a big game for him.
“Against the Sharks as well, he showed he’s got the quality. It bodes well for the future. In the last couple of games, he has been excellent for us.”
Peel says Scarlets will look to Northampton’s victory at the Aviva for inspiration after the Saints became the first side to win in Dublin this season in their 37-34 Champions Cup semi-final victory four weeks ago.
“Northampton were brave, undoubtedly. It was a game I enjoyed,” he said.
“They executed their gameplan and scored some nice tries. It was a great game to watch.
“You do take some elements out of it, and I am sure Leinster will have looked at our games in South Africa and looked at where they can target us.
“Play-offs are new for a lot of this group, but I want us to embrace it and really get stuck in. That is what I would like to see from us, passion and playing for each other.”
Scarlets team to play Leinster at Aviva Stadium on Saturday, May 31 (3.00pm UK time; BBC Wales, Premier Sports)
15 Blair Murray; 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Ellis Mee; 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Arhie Hughes; 1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Ryan Elias, 3 Henry Thomas, 4 Alex Craig, 5 Sam Lousi, 6 Vaea Fifita, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 8 Taine Plumtree.
Replacements:
16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Dan Davis, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Efan Jones, 22 Ioan Lloyd, 23 Macs Page.
[Lead image: Scarlets Rugby]
