THE BIG ISSUES IN DWAYNE’S WORLD
DWAYNE Peel probably felt a touch of relief last week as his future was cleared up.
Thankfully, the latest Welsh rugby dispute was settled fairly amicably, with Peel returning to the Scarlets as head coach and Matt Sherratt filling the role he was set to take at Cardiff Blues.
All’s that.
But just because things have been ironed out in terms of Peel’s departure from Ulster and where he’s heading next, it doesn’t detract from the job facing him at Parc y Scarlets.
Taking over as head coach of the side where the 2005 Grand Slam star made his name would always have been a dream, but the reality is that there’s some work to do with the Scarlets. Some are quick fixes, others might take longer.
After being the standard bearers of Welsh rugby for the past few years, this season has seen things stall somewhat, with the Scarlets’ humiliation at the hands of Sale in the Champions Cup the low point in a sub-par campaign.
So what will be on Peel’s to-do list when he arrives back in Llanelli? well that ends well, and all
REDISCOVERING THE ATTACKING SPARK
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the Scarlets in the last year or so has been the lack of attacking panache.
Think back to Wayne Pivac’s time in charge and watching the Scarlets from week to week was a joy, given how they could flick a switch at seemingly any moment and rip a team to shreds.
Now, though, things have faltered in their attacking game.
During the last season they’ve failed to score a first-half try in nine matches and first-half points in five matches this season.
For whatever reason, the Scarlets just look stuck in a rut with their attacking blueprint and the players don’t seem to have solutions.
That was never more obvious than against Sale as the English club continually put pressure on the Scarlets’ backline, who could only play out of the back and into trouble.
Peel is rated in Ulster for his work in attack, and getting the Scarlets back to near their attacking best will be high up on the agenda.
HOW TO COMPENSATE FOR A LOSS OF BULK
One of the biggest issues Peel will face are the restraints he’ll be working with.
Money is always tight in Welsh rugby, and never more so than now.
The Scarlets have already revealed they’ll be working with a smaller squad as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect Welsh rugby.
In particular, the loss of a number of forwards will prove tricky to deal with. Werner Kruger, Tevita Ratuva, Uzair Cassiem, Jake Ball and Jac Morgan are all off this summer and compensating for the ballast the Scarlets will be without is no mean feat.
WORKING RAPPORT WITH GLENN DELANEY
With Peel returning to his former region to take up the head coach role, that sees Delaney move to the position of director of rugby.
How the pair work together will be interesting to watch, given Peel is stepping into Delaney’s shoes effectively.
The dynamic of what Delaney moving upstairs means still isn’t totally clear in terms of the day-to-day workings, but the Scarlets will hope it leads to an upturn.
DEFENSIVE FIXES AND DISCIPLINE ISSUES
Looking at the PRO14’S official statistics, the Scarlets ranked 10th from 12 in terms of defence and 11th in terms of discipline this season.
Quite simply, that’s a massive concern.
On three separate occasions they’ve conceded 50 points this campaign. Another big concern.
Of course, Delaney was the defence coach before he inherited the head coach role. It’s entirely feasible that in his first year in the main role, the defensive side of coaching got lost a little.
Addressing this will be high on the agenda of Delaney and Peel, either by looking at a bona-fide defence coach or just redistributing responsibilities.