Top spot's still on for Llanelli

Llanelli v Leinster: Simon Easterby could have been wearing the blue of Leinster like his brother Guy rather than the scarlet of Llanelli if background negotiations last summer hadn't been handicapped by a little politicking from outside agencies.

The younger Easterby chose to remain in the Principality, where he was honoured with the captaincy, an illustration of his standing in this west Wales community.

Llanelli are coming off a superb performance at Stradey Park, where they thrashed visitors Cardiff, snaffling a bonus point to boot.

Although they are nine points behind Celtic League leaders Munster and seven behind today's opponents, the Welsh side have games in hand that could propel them to the top.

It's a fact not lost on the younger Easterby. "It may sound like a cliché, but Leinster is a huge game. If we were to win, it would lift us above 30 points and we still have two games in hand on some teams. It's still possible we could win the league and that is where we are heading. It all depends on stringing a run together and getting some results. It's no good winning one weekend and not the next."

Not that he is underestimating the Leinster challenge: "They are the form team in the league, had a great win against Munster and had a good win against Ulster away. They have certainly got plenty of pace in the backs and are a young side - apart from their scrumhalf (a delicious reference to his 34-year-old sibling).

"For us it's all and well getting up for the Welsh derbies but we have set the standard now and the big thing for us it to continue this weekend because Leinster probably pose a bigger threat than Cardiff."

Leinster coach Michael Cheika has deferred a couple of late decisions in the pack, with two of Bryce Williams, Malcolm O'Kelly, Cameron Jowitt and Eric Miller claiming a place in the second row and at blindside flanker respectively.

The back line is retained en bloc with Felipe Contepomi once again at the hub. Ireland and Leinster captain Brian O'Driscoll is given his second start. The soreness felt in his shoulder the last day has passed with treatment.

Denis Hickie is named on the bench after his late, if important, cameo the last day.

Contepomi has been the province's outstanding player this season but others are starting to hit form. Gordon D'Arcy gets better with every outing, so too, Shane Horgan.

Girvan Dempsey is another whose quality levels have been impeccable while young players like Brian Blaney and Jamie Heaslip have slipped in seamlessly alongside some older heads in the pack.

This match represents a decent measure of the distance Leinster have travelled under Cheika and David Knox. There is much to admire in the way they try and play the game, but a team must also win.

Llanelli have made seven changes, two positional from the Cardiff game, and that may allow Leinster that little chink of light in terms of more coherent team patterns.

Just enough to prevail.

LLANELLI: B Davies; M Jones, M Watkins, R King, L Byrne; M Hercus, D Peel; C Dunlea, M Rees, M Madden; H Louw, A Jones; D Jones, S Easterby (capt), A Popham. Replacements: J Davies, C Hawkins, V Cooper, G Thomas, C Start-Smith, G Bowen, G Evans.

LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll (capt), G D'Arcy, K Lewis; F Contepomi, G Easterby; R Corrigan, B Blaney, W Green; A Byrnes, B Williams/M O'Kelly; C Jowitt/E Miller, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: R McCormack, D Blaney, AN Other, N Ronan, B O'Riordan, J Hepworth, D Hickie.

Referee: David Changleng (Scotland).

Recent head-to-heads: November 2003 (CL), at Donnybrook: Leinster 31 Llanelli Scarlets 20; April 2004 (CL), at Stradey Park: Llanelli Scarlets 51 Leinster 20; November 2004 (CL), at Racecourse Ground: Llanelli Scarlets 24 Leinster 22; March 2005 (CL), at Lansdowne Road: Leinster 31 Llanelli Scarlets 25.

Leading scorers: Llanelli - Mike Hercus 35. Leinster - Felipe Contepomi 147.

Leading try scorers: Llanelli - Lee Byrne 3. Leinster - Felipe Contepomi, Girvan Dempsey, Rob Kearney 3 each.