Head Coach Danny Wilson admits the battle of the breakdown could be pivotal as Cardiff Blues tackle Scarlets in an eagerly anticipated Guinness PRO12 derby on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).
Wilson went with Ellis Jenkins, Sam Warburton and Josh Navidi as his back row for the recent bonus point victory over Benetton Treviso at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park.
But he acknowledges who ever plays in the back row this time will have a challenging afternoon against some of the weapons that Scarlets possess.
“John Barclay and James Davies are two major threats at the breakdown. We have to deal with those guys,” he said.
“In the likes of Sam Warburton, Josh Navidi, Josh Turnbull, Ellis Jenkins we have got boys who are very capable in that area themselves and have made great turnover contributions defensively.
“We need to be accurate, make sure we can deal with them and put our imprint on the game. It should make for a big battle.”
Looking ahead to the game, Wilson admitted the clash would be the ideal time to hit form away from home.
He said: “It’s a long-term process for us and there have been bumps in the road and there will be more to come. That is what we are working towards, consistent performances and wins for Cardiff Blues.
“We have done that recently but we have still got to improve our away record and back up what we are doing at home.
“At home we are building a place that is very hard for teams to visit. We have only lost two league games at home all year, one by a point to Leinster and the other to the champions in Glasgow.
“We’ve had some great performances at home and got some big results – but we need to improve what we do away to become more consistent.
“I have found this group have got plenty of spirit and fight in them. That has shown in the latter stages of a number of games. So hopefully we can pick it up away.”