Dominic Day has warned his Saracens team-mates the Cardiff Blues will be no pushovers when the Welsh region visit the English champions on Sunday. The Blues go to Allianz Park to take on the most powerful team in the Gallagher Premiership, a side that last lost a game eight months ago and are unbeaten at home since February. The Blues, by contrast, have lost four of their last five matches and few will expect them to create an upset this weekend.

Brad Mooar has said he feels “humbled” to have been offered the Scarlets head coach’s job in succession to Wayne Pivac. Currently assistant coach at the Crusaders in New Zealand, Mooar will succeed Pivac ahead of the 2019-20 season when the present Scarlets chief take over with Wales from Warren Gatland. The Scarlets’ search for a successor has not been straightforward. High on their initial hit list was current Zebre and former Canada coach Kieran Crowley.

While Wales take on Australia this weekend, the four Welsh regions take a breather for the next three weeks until the Guinness Pro 14 resumes. Geraint Powell takes the temperature of the four of them and says all need to warm up quickly when the action resumes. The first block of the Welsh regional rugby season is over. The first eight rounds of the Guinness Pro14 and two rounds in Europe have been completed and the best Welsh rugby players are now in Test camp with Warren Gatland.

Ben Morgan could have been playing for Wales this autumn, but instead he is likely to have another crack at becoming England’s No.8. The former Scarlets back row forward had the chance to wear red for country as well as region after he fulfilled the three-year residency period back in 2012. Instead, unlike so many happy to swap national allegiance, Morgan admitted he was an Englishman at heart, whatever the rules might say and moved to Gloucester in a bid to fulfill that dream.

Wayne Pivac believes the Scarlets will be stronger – both in numbers and in spirit – when they visit Edinburgh next week after an impressive against-the-odds victory in South Africa. Despite the absence of 20 players through international calls, injuries and suspension, the region won 41-34 on Friday night against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth. It underlined the Scarlets’ depth and the bonus point victory was an achievement it is hard to imagine any of the other three regions would have managed in the same circumstances.

Phil Bennett was born on October 24th, 1948. His 70th birthday is an occasion when anyone still in love with Welsh rugby should raise a glass to a man who embodied its spirit. And anyone too young to remember him should get on YouTube. Graham Thomas pays tribute.  Phil Bennett is 70. But it’s not all bad news because as Wales and Warren Gatland suffer uncertainty over who to pick at fly-half next month, the great man seems willing to consider a comeback.

Scarlets A will be crowned champions of the inaugural Celtic Cup if they can inflict revenge on Leinster A at Parc Y Scarlets tomorrow (KO 4pm) The West Walians were beaten 16-10 in their own backyard by Leinster’s development side last month, but this time around they have summer signing Clayton Blommetjies amongst their ranks as they go for glory against the unbeaten Irish province.

Wayne Pivac sounded like a man with a realistic assessment of whether or not lightning will strike twice to spark the Scarlets’ European cause. The head coach had seen his side beaten 45-27 at Leicester Tigers on Friday night, their second successive defeat in the Heineken Champions Cup following their home loss to Racing 92. Last year, the Scarlets produced a minor miracle in recovering from an identical start to go all the way to the semi-finals, but Pivac knows a crucial factor a year ago was the collection of two losing bonus points at this stage, compared to this campaign’s one.

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.

The Scarlets are facing an injury crisis ahead of their Heineken Champions Cup trip to face Leicester this weekend. Rhys Patchell is still recovering from a head injury, while Angus O’Brien – who deputised at No.10 for the opening round home defeat to Racing 92 – has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a ruptured knee ligament. That leaves Dan Jones to provide the guiding hand against the Tigers this weekend, where his likely back-up will be centre Steff Hughes.

Wayne Pivac has admitted his Scarlets are facing exactly the kind of situation he had warned they must avoid. Before their opening Heineken Champions Cup tie at home to Racing 92, the head coach had sounded certain that history would not repeat itself – the team that reached last season’s semi-finals would not recover this time from losing their opening two matches. But with Saturday night’s 14-13 home defeat to the French club, the Scarlets will be in familiar territory if they lose away to Leicester Tigers on Friday night. The Tigers began their campaign with a 24-10 defeat at Ulster.

The Scarlets are preparing a Saturday night speed trap for Fijian superstar Leone Nakarawa. Coach Wayne Pivac has warned his team they must slow the wheels on the brilliant Fiji lock when they face Racing 92. The Scarlets face last season’s beating finalists in Llanelli desperate to get their Champions Cup campaign off to a winning start.