20/08/2008 - Davies: I'll give all of my squad a chance
Head coach Nigel Davies will give all his Scarlets squad an early chance to press their claims in Saturday's opening pre-season clash of the campaign at Bath.
Davies will field two separate starting XVs in each half of Saturday's match at The Rec as preparations are cranked up in readiness for the opening Magners League tie at Ulster on September 5.
The Scarlets are currently in the middle of a five-day training camp at Aberystwyth University.
Yesterday they were put through a high-intensity game situation on the university's training fields where international referee Nigel Owens was in attendance to help the squad and coaches get to grips with the new experimental law variations (ELVs) that are being used this season.
The Scarlets will have their first taste of the laws in the West Country this weekend, before completing their pre-season programme with another demanding test against Guinness Premiership champions London Wasps at Adams Park a week on Friday.
"We have a 38-man squad and they have all worked extremely hard during pre-season, so we are going to play two different teams in each half," said Davies, who is preparing for his first season at the region's helm.
"Although there are two separate teams taking the field, those teams have prepared separately and will be very focused on performing.
"We are going to mix it up in terms of experience and ability and I think it is only fair that everybody gets an opportunity in the first game.
"After that we go to Wasps and that will obviously be a lot tighter in terms of selection as we start to focus on the start of our competitive season.
Davies added: "We are under no illusions how tough it is to compete at the top end of the game and we can't hide from it and by the end of this training week here we are going to be ready to play rugby and to see where we are.
"Yes, I have got a rough idea of my starting XV for that first match in Ulster, but the next two weeks will make it a lot clearer."
There was an upbeat mood around the camp yesterday with the Scarlets delighted with the facilities available at the Aberystwyth campus.
And this afternoon skipper Simon Easterby and his players swapped their training bibs for life jackets when they went white water rafting in the icy waters of Snowdonia National Park.