COCKERILL IS FIRED UP BY THE RETURN OF HIS BIG GUNS

RICHARD COCKERILL believes the return of some of his experienced Scotland internationals today can maintain Edinburgh’s challenge to be top guns in Pro14 Conference B. Grant Gilchrist, WP Nel, Nick Haining, Matt Scott, Luke Crosbie and Henry Pyrgos have all been released from Gregor Townsend’s squad who sit in second spot behind Munster — in time for the crucial clash with third-placed Scarlets in Wales this afternoon. Edinburgh are still without Ben Toolis, Blair Kinghorn, Stuart McInally, Rory Sutherland, Jamie Ritchie and Magnus Bradbury who are all set to figure in Townsend’s plans for the crunch meeting with Italy next Saturday, while injured winger Darcy Graham has returned to training ahead of the Rome showdown. Victory in Llanelli today would go a long way to ensuring Edinburgh’s place in the end-of-season play-offs. ‘We have a few guys back from Scotland camp with it being a fallow week during the Six Nations, so we travel south with a good bit of experience,’ said head coach Cockerill (right). ‘We face tricky weather conditions, so it’s going to be a battle no matter what. ‘We’ve been here for the last two weeks preparing for a run of games against Scarlets, Connacht and Cardiff, which are pivotal for us. We’ll think about all the good things we can do rather than complaining about all the players who aren’t available.’ Assistant coach Duncan Hodge singled out former Scotland captain Gilchrist and back-row forward Haining as the men who can make a difference in Wales. He said: ‘Grant has a bit more experience and knows how to cope with coming back to the club from Scotland duty. ‘Every time he comes back in, he’s a top pro and he gets on with his job. ‘He is a great caller of line-outs, so it’s great to have him back. ‘Nick has done really well with Scotland. He got his first cap against Ireland and, hopefully, he’s gained extra confidence.’ Hodge insisted there will be no complacency in Edinburgh’s ranks despite beating Scarlets 46-7 at Murrayfield in October, when winger Duhan van der Merwe scored a hat-trick of tries. ‘The scoreline probably flattered us a bit,’ admitted Hodge. ‘They are a good side and although they won’t have some of their top-line Wales guys, they still have some quality players.’

SCARLETS: O’Brien; Baldwin, Fonotia, Hughes, Evans; Jones, Hardy; Price, Davies, Lee, Rawlins, Louisi, Shingler, MacLeod, Cassiem. EDINBURGH: Hoyland; Sau, Bennett, Scott, van der Merwe; van der Walt, Pyrgos; Schoeman, Cherry, Nel, Carmichael, Gilchrist, Haining, Crosbie, Mata. TV: LIVE on Premier Sports. Kick-off: 3pm.