With just three rounds of Guinness PRO14 action to go, sides are priming one final push for the play-offs and a tilt at the title in Glasgow. Leinster are the only team to have booked safe passage to the knockouts, with an almighty scrap set to decide who fills the remaining five spots. One of those outfits are last season’s runners-up the Scarlets who, after 18 rounds of rugby, sit fifth in Conference B, five points shy of Benetton Rugby in the final post-season berth. A comprehensive 41-17 defeat at the hands of local rivals Cardiff Blues last time out put a dent in their hopes, leaving Wayne Pivac’s side cursing what proved to be an elusive losing bonus point and putting an end to their two-match winning run. It has left the province with an uphill task if they are to have any hopes of replicating their feats of recent years and reaching a third straight Guinness PRO14 final, with nothing but wins required from this point on. What does their remaining schedule look like? A trio of games to salvage their season, the Scarlets won’t have to leave Wales as they round off the regular season. Two home fixtures in a row precede their season-closing Judgement Day clash at Principality Stadium against the Dragons. Before then, however, they must navigate the visits of Edinburgh Rugby and Zebre to Parc y Scarlets, with Round 19’s face-off against the Scots set to be crucial in the race to catch Benetton, given that Richard Cockerill’s men sit two points and a place above them in the Conference B standings. On paper, then, their run-in looks favourable: Conference A’s bottom side Zebre are without a win since October, but in relying on other sides ahead of them to drop points, it’s a case of beating what’s put in front of them and keeping as many fingers crossed as possible. Scarlets’ run-in: R19: Edinburgh Rugby (H) Saturday, April 6, 18:45 R20: Zebre Rugby (H) Saturday, April 13, 17:15 R21: Dragons (A) Saturday, April 27, 15:00 Who are going to be the difference-makers if Scarlets can reach the Guinness PRO14 Final Series? Scarlets will look to their returning Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam winners to bolster ranks, with Pivac likely to throw them right back into the fold over the season’s final weeks. The likes of Ken Owens and Gareth Davies should play a crucial part, not only on the field, but off it as well; their experience of the crunch could prove vital in driving Scarlets over the line. Another face that Pivac’s men will look to is that of Leigh Halfpenny, the talismanic full-back slowly working his way back to his best after missing large parts of the campaign. Also crucial among Pivac’s dynamic set of backs will be New Zealand flyer Johnny McNicholl, whose running with the ball in hand has been consistently devastating for opposition defences throughout the campaign. Over 1000m metres gained, 58 defenders beaten and 22 offloads highlight that fact, and he will need to be at his jet-heeled best if the Scarlets are to have a chance of making the cut. What’s the ‘must-win’ game for Scarlets? This is an easy one: Edinburgh Rugby’s trip down to Llanelli in a fortnight’s time could either make or break the Scarlets’ Guinness PRO14 season. With an identical record this season – nine wins and nine defeats apiece – the Scottish side edge out Scarlets for fourth place in Conference B by virtue of a couple of bonus points. It will be the side’s first meeting of the season, with the Scarlets still smarting after their 52-14 defeat at BT Murrayfield last April. But the Welsh outfit will take heart from Edinburgh’s poor form away from the Scottish capital this season – they are yet to taste victory on the road. Can Scarlets go all the way if they reach the Guinness PRO14 Final Series? They most certainly can. No side has the pedigree to match the Scarlets in the Guinness PRO14’s knockout stages across the last two seasons. Beaten finalists last year as they were toppled by Leinster in a barn-burner, Scarlets claimed their maiden title the year before with a sweet 46-23 win over Munster at the Aviva Stadium. Granted, their record in the regular season in both years made for better reading than it does this time around but there’s no doubting the fact that, if Scarlets get there, they know how to win knockout rugby matches.
