SCARLETS: ‘The first 30 minutes are going to be important’: Davies’ Benetton warning

Nigel Davies has warned his players they must match Benetton from the first whistle at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday (5.30pm).

He said: “I think the first 30 minutes are going to be important. They tend to get a lot of momentum in the first 30 minutes.”

The Scarlets go into the game still looking for a first win after two derby defeats.

Benetton are coached by Wayne Pivac, who led the Scarlets to the PRO12 title in 2017. They drew with the Dragons on the opening weekend and are also still waiting for a first win.

Pivac’s Benetton “a big set-piece team”

Davies said: “Wayne Pivac had a successful period here, so he’ll be looking forward to coming back and making a statement himself.”

He expects the Italians to test the Scarlets up front. “They’re a big team, big set-piece team, so they want to play the game in those areas,” he said.

He added: “They’ll be a big, strong, forward-orientated pack, but they’ve also got some people that can hurt you behind as well, so they have a lot of quality in their team, a lot of Italian internationals.”

Davies has made three changes for the game, with Joe Hawkins handed his first start of the season.

He said: “We’ve got to front up there physically, front up there as a forward pack, and we’ll take it from there. We’ve got a strong bench to come on as well, so it’s a real 80-minute performance that we need this week.”

Half the Scarlets’ turnovers straight off the set-piece

Davies says his own side have been making life hard for themselves. Half of the Scarlets’ turnovers in their opening two games have come straight off the set-piece.

He said: “If you look at our first two games, and certainly last week, where we’re sort of mid to low 30% in territory and possession, we do quite well to stay in the game and be in with a shot of winning it, considering the possession stats.”

The Scarlets lost 21-15 to Cardiff at Parc y Scarlets in their opener. Last weekend’s 38-26 defeat by the Dragons at Rodney Parade made it two from two.

Davies said the problem is not winning the ball. He was happy with the scrum, and said the Scarlets “won a sufficient amount of line-out ball” in Newport.

He said: “Where we let ourselves down really is our launches from the set-piece. Of all our turnovers, 50% of them came from our start of play.”

He went on: “That’s taking possession and territory out of your game. It’s a double whammy really. It’s not only you not being able to impose your game on them, but you start defending for longer periods.”

It builds on his verdict after the Dragons defeat, when he said the side needed “better territory” and had to stop giving sides “easy ins”.

Scarlets wall defence “has to be improved considerably”

Davies also wants a big step up in one area of defence.

He said: “Our wall defence has to be improved considerably in a certain area that we’re working on because that’s where sides are getting a little bit of joy at the moment.”

He said new systems are being tested for real for the first time: “It’s two games in. We’ve tested some of our systems in a competitive environment for the first time. Some things are working, some things aren’t. That’s normal.”

He added: “When we do create that environment, I think we’ve shown enough in the first two games to show that we’re a very dangerous team.”

“Scratching the surface”: Davies’ call to Scarlets supporters

Davies admitted there is frustration in the squad after two derby defeats. “We’re just looking forward to getting the game up and running and showing everybody exactly what we can do, so there’s a big determination within the group to do that,” he said.

He also appealed to supporters: “It’d be fantastic if we can get some of those supporters down here. I know it’s been difficult with two local derby losses, but there’s a long way for this team to go yet.”

He added: “We’re only touching, scratching the surface about what this team is capable of.”