PIVAC UNFAZED BY DUBLIN CAULDRON AS SCARLETS CHASE FIRST EURO-FINAL

WAYNE Pivac insists his Scarlets side won’t be worried about the Dublin factor as they go in search of a first European final appearance.

The west Walians take on red-hot European Champions Cup favourites Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, having been written off by the bookmakers and a number of pundits.

However, with 5,000 Scarlets fans expected to make the trip across the Irish Sea for the semi-final tie, Pivac believes his players won’t be forced to endure a swirling cauldron of blue support.

“It is a venue where we played in the (Guinness PRO12) final last year and we really enjoyed it,” said the New Zealander.

“Look, there will be plenty of support for the locals I am sure, they won’t have too far to travel, but I know one Scarlets supporter probably makes up for 10 of the opposition.

“Hopefully, there will be something like 5,000 Scarlets fans there, which is a great number. I don’t know if it will be the cauldron that some people think.

“We have a lot of players who have played at international level. It is just another big stadium with a great atmosphere and that is the way we will be approaching it.

“For us it is a semi-final, it is an opportunity, it is 80 minutes away from creating history, being in our first grand final. That is the way we are approaching it.”

Pivac opted to rest the majority of his starting XV for last weekend’s 52-14 Guinness PRO14 defeat to Edinburgh and is set to select from a position of strength.

“They’ve been ticking over behind the scenes and they feel a lot better for the rest, mentally and physically,” he added.

“There are no new injuries, everyone (who played against Glasgow) is available for selection and we’ve got a decision to make in a couple of positions due to form, which is a good thing.”

As for the challenge of taking on threetime winners Leinster, who came through their pool unbeaten before seeing off defending champions Saracens in the quarter-finals, Pivac added: “We’re going to have to be up for this game both mentally and physically.

“It’s going to be a huge physical challenge, so we have to be prepared and ready to go and jump into those trenches.

“It is just going to be one of those games where we’ve got to be at our best.”

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