Scarlets v Treviso, Heineken Cup, December 11
Scarlets look to get back to winning ways
ESPNscrum Staff
December 9, 2010
Scarlets fly-half Stephen Jones takes the attack to London Irish, London Irish v Scarlets, Heineken Cup, Madejski Stadium, Reading, England, October 17, 2009
Stephen Jones returns at fly-half for the Scarlets © Getty Images
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The Scarlets will be looking to get their Heineken Cup campaign back on track when they host Treviso in Llanelli on Saturday afternoon.

The Welsh edged out Perpignan in a thrilling encounter in round one but were then systematically dismantled by Leicester Tigers at Welford Road the following weekend. The Scarlets have responded well to that setback and are currently second in the Magners League standings.

Treviso, by comparison, are ninth after plummeting down the table following a bright start to the season. Their problem remains that while always competitive and higly likely to make life difficult for their opponents, they rarely manage to pick up wins on the road. After collecting just one point from their opening two games in Pool 5, it is essential for the Italians' survival in the competition that they buck that trend this weekend.

Scarlets - Player to Watch: Regan King was at his majestic best during the Scarlets' victory over Perpignan in round one and the Welsh side will be hoping for more game-breaking magic from the former All Black.

Scarlets - Team News: Wales Under-20 Prop Simon Gardiner comes into the front-row as cover for injured tight-heads Deacon Manu and Peter Edwards. Welsh internationals Stephen Jones and Matthew Rees both return, with Rhys Priestland shifting to fullback as a result of Jones' recall.

Treviso - Player to Watch: Gonzalo Garcia starts in the centre for Treviso and while he does not possess the silky skills of King, he boasts a powerful running game and will put his side on the front-foot at every opportunity.

Treviso - Team News: Kristopher Burton switches to fly-half after a spell at fullback, with Italian international Luke McLean back in the No.15 jersey. After making his Italy debut in November, young scrum-half Edoardo Gori makes do with a place on the bench behind Fabio Semenzato.

Key Battle: With their well-documented problems at tight-head, the Scarlets will hope that Gardiner learns quickly. Should they secure a platform in the tight exchanges then they have the goods out wide to pull clear.

Trivia: The Scarlets racked up their biggest European win over Italian opposition during the 2001-02 season, running 93 points past Calvisano.

Stats: After two European meetings between the sides the spoils are shared - both teams have one win apiece.

Quote Unquote:

"Yes, it was tough and those ones hurt you but you learn from that and move on. We still feel we can control our future, which is a great situation to be in. It's good to be back, there is a good vibe here at the Scarlets, you see how enthusiastic the younger players are and it's infectious." - Stephen Jones looks past defeat to Leicester

"Semenzato is a good player but Gori is not just a good club player but a good international player. In his first game against Australia he hardly got anything wrong; for the future he's very, very interesting for the national team." - Italy boss Nick Mallett pleads for Gori to be given a shot following his Test debut.

Prediction: Treviso have already beaten the Scarlets once this season but on their home track the Welsh side will have too much invention in the backs for the visitors.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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