Sean Holley has urged the Scarlets’ senior players to step up and help Dwayne Peel to turn around a testing situation at the Llanelli-based region.
The west Walians stand 15th in the United Rugby Championship table, with only Zebre below them, after a difficult start to the season. They have won just one game out of their opening six and are being hit hard by injuries and suspensions, with 18 players unavailable for the game with Connacht last Friday.
Appearing on BBC’s Scrum V programme, former Ospreys head coach Holley was asked where the Scarlets were at the moment. “They are still in a hole,” he said.
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“Injuries are not helping. They had to get Dan Thomas on loan for a couple of weeks.
“You can see he [Peel] is under a bit of pressure.
“I feel for him and some of the players need to step up.
“What they don’t need now is a blame culture and finger pointing.
“They need to rally together and get behind Dwayne.”
The defeat by Connacht in Galway saw the Scarlets lose their way in the second half after a resolute opening 40 that saw them turn around just five points adrift despite playing into the wind and rain. But the Irish province took their chances and the Welsh team were not helped by indiscipline that saw impressive loan signing Thomas and Sione Kalamafoni sin-binned late on. You can read more about the Scarlets making an emergency signing from the English Premiership here.
It doesn’t get any easier, with Leinster pitching up in Llanelli on Friday evening before the Scarlets head off to South Africa to play the URC champions the Stormers and then the Lions.
Amid all the injuries, Peel’s challenge has assumed major dimensions, alongside fellow coach Gareth Williams. “He’s got Gareth Williams with him, but they looked a little bit lost, the two of them,” said Holley, touching on the game last Friday.
“I just feel he needs somebody to bounce off, as well, as does Gareth, and the senior players need to step up.”
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