Blade Thomson will be part of a Scarlets line-up aiming to make history when they face Leicester in the Heineken Champions Cup on Friday.
The new Scotland squad member – called up for autumn duty by coach Gregor Townsend this week – has been named in the Scarlets side bidding to be the first Welsh team ever to win at Welford Road in European competition.
The Scarlets – losers at home to Racing 92 in the opening round – are without 12 players who are either injured or suspended, including Rhys Patchell and Johnny McNicholl who are both recovering after suspected concussion.
It will be the 10th European meeting between the sides, but the Scarlets have only won twice and have lost on all four of their previous visits to the East Midlands.
The Tigers, though, are far from the force of old. They lost their opening tie away to Ulster and have suffered five consecutive Champions Cup defeats – their worst ever run.
As well as Patchell and McNicholl, Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac will be without Steve Cummins, Lewis Rawlins, James Davies, Jonathan Evans, Aaron Shingler, Tom Prydie, Kieron Fonotia, Rob Evans, Angus O’Brien and Jake Ball.
Pivac said: “Both sides probably haven’t hit their straps for various reasons. Certainly for us it’s a little bit disruptive due to injuries.
“They’ve obviously got a mixed bag going on at their end as well. Playing at home I expect them to be a tougher opposition than they seemed to be for Ulster last weekend.
“We know it’s a tough place to go on a personal experience. It’s a fresh opportunity for us, we want to get straight back out there and turn around some of the disappointment from last Saturday.
“Hopefully, we’ll get some good conditions. We want to get out there play some rugby and put them under some pressure.”
Captain Ken Owens will make his 50thappearance in the top flight European competition.
Owens made his debut as a replacement against Ulster, one of Scarlets’ pool opponents this season, in Belfast in January 2007.
The 31-year-old will lead the Scarlets to the field on Friday night as they look to kick-start the campaign after a disappointing one-point defeat to last season’s finalists Racing 92 at Parc y Scarlets last weekend.
The front row remains unchanged with international props Wyn Jones and Samson Lee lining up alongside Owens. Jake Ball hasn’t recovered from a leg hematoma in time to take his place in the second row with former Leicester Tiger Tom Price coming in for his first start of the season.
Back rower Thomson moves across to the blindside flank, Will Boyde switches to No. 8 with Josh Macleod, who made his 50thregional appearance last week, coming in to the openside.
A ruptured knee ligament, suffered in his first start for the Scarlets on Saturday, sees O’Brien sidelined with Dan Jones coming in at No.10.
Gareth Davies, Steff Evans, Hadleigh Parkes, Jonathan Davies and Leigh Halfpenny remain unchanged with 20-year-old Ioan Nicholas coming in on the wing for the injured Johnny McNicholl.
15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Ioan Nicholas, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 1 Wyn Jones, 2 Ken Owens ©, 3 Samson Lee, 4 Tom Price, 5 David Bulbring, 6 Blade Thomson, 7 Josh Macleod, 8 Will Boyde
Replacements; 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Phil Price, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Josh Helps, 20 Uzair Cassiem, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Steff Hughes, 23 Paul Asquith
