The Scarlets take on Benetton in Treviso on Saturday (5.15pm kick-off) with a team full of players unavailable after just two rounds of United Rugby Championship matches.
Some of those missing are long-term casualties, while others are recent additions to an injury list which must now be concerning head coach Dwayne Peel as his side look for their first win of the term.
Ioan Nicholas, Tomás Lezana, Tom Rogers, Aaron Shingler, Scott Williams, Dan Davis, Phil Price, Lewis Rawlins, Joe Roberts, Carwyn Tuipulotu, Callum Williams, Kemsley Mathias, Samson Lee, Griff Evans and Josh Helps make up the grim log of those who are missing for the trip to Italy.
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Much better news is that Wales internationals Leigh Halfpenny and Ken Owens are both back after long absences.
Halfpenny, who will win his 50th Scarlets cap, features for the first time since picking up a knee injury while playing for Wales in the summer of 2021. Owens, who has had a back problem, played a half for Carmarthen Quins in the Indigo Premiership last weekend and is named among the replacements (you can read about the 22-year-old dairy farmer who lined up against Owens in the Welsh Premiership here).
It is a notable day for back-rower Josh Macleod, too, as he makes his 100th Scarlets appearance. The uncapped forward made his bow for the region in 2015.
Peel makes seven changes, one of them positional, from the team which lost to Ulster last time out, with Halfpenny, Steff Evans, Dan Jones, Kieran Hardy starting behind and Shaun Evans, Tom Price coming in at forward, with Vaea Fifita moving from lock to No. 6.
Wales international Johnny McNicholl features on the bench after coming through head injury assessment protocols.
Head coach Peel said: “History will tell you that Benetton are a side who are very tough at home, very combative, a heavy set of forwards with good athletes in their pack. You need to play in the right areas, they play a big pressure game so, for us, we need to make sure our territory game is good and when we get opportunities to score we are accurate in what we do.”
Benetton: Rhyno Smith, Edoardo Padovani, Ignacio Brex, Joaquin Riera, Ignacio Mendy, Tomas Albornoz, Dewaldt Duvenage (CAPT), Ivan Nemer, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Simone Ferrari, Scott Scrafton, Federico Ruzza, Manuel Zuliani, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: Giacomo Nicotera, Federico Zani, Tiziano Pasquali, Niccolò Cannone, Toa Halafihi, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Marcus Watson, Tommaso Menoncello.
Scarlets: Leigh Halfpenny, Steff Evans, Jonathan Davies (capt), Johnny Williams, Ryan Conbeer, Dan Jones, Kieran Hardy, Steff Thomas, Shaun Evans, Javan Sebastian, Sam Lousi, Tom Price, Vaea Fifita, Josh Macleod, Sione Kalamafoni.
Replacements: Ken Owens, Wyn Jones, Harri O’Connor, Morgan Jones, Blade Thomson, Dane Blacker, Rhys Patchell, Johnny McNicholl.
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