Scarlets a red rag to Easterby brother

John O'Sullivan hears from the Leinster scrumhalf Guy Easterby about the extra importance of this weekend's trip to Llanelli

Leinster's assignments don't get easier. The merit of Celtic League victories away to Ulster and at home to Munster at the RDS over the Christmas period must be consigned to the history books. Saturday will present a challenge every bit as difficult as the last two matches or the brace of upcoming Heineken European Cup games against the Glasgow Warriors and Bath.

This week Leinster head for Stradey Park and a tilt at arguably the in-form side in Wales, the Llanelli Scarlets. On Monday the Welsh region hammered Cardiff - another team in good fettle - outscoring the Blues by five tries to one and thus guaranteeing a bonus point. It has nudged them closer to the scrap at the top of the Celtic League table, a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed in west Wales.

Llanelli coach Nigel Davies knows that if they win their games in hand they can go from fifth to top. Realising that ambition starts with beating Leinster on Saturday.

"We have known we are still in contention for some time. However, two games in hand won't count for anything unless we keep winning. Hopefully there will be a big crowd again on Saturday and it's a match we are really looking forward to."

One Leinster player looking forward to the trip is scrumhalf Guy Easterby, afforded the twin opportunities to acquire domestic bragging rights and return to a club at which he spent three and a half seasons.

The 34-year-old relishes a chance to stare down the Llanelli captain, his younger brother and fellow Irish international, Simon.

"We've played against each other on two occasions before, both times when I was playing for Ebbw Vale, and the score stands at one each. I suppose we have been avoiding any conversation about this match."

Not that they have seen much of each other over the festive period, with Simon involved in three games in nine days with Llanelli - he was man of the match against Cardiff - and Guy tied up with Leinster.

The latter spent Christmas morning with relatives in Blackrock before hooking up with Leinster's Australian and New Zealand players.

Guy laughed: "There were a lot of early nights with no drink, very little craic. I'm looking forward to going back to Stradey Park. It's a great place to play, with passionate supporters who create a super atmosphere.

"I really enjoyed my time there and have a lot of friends at the club. In fact I'm going to stay on Saturday night because I haven't seen Simon over Christmas and it'll give me a chance to catch up with some of the other lads. Obviously some are going to have to get over their disappointment very quickly depending on the result."

Easterby is a strong advocate of the patterns and style of play introduced by the new Leinster coaching team of Michael Cheika and David Knox.

"I think they've been a breath of fresh air. We're still a long way from where we want to be but you can see the improvement we're making. We have to cut out the silly errors but there is a commitment to keeping the ball in hand. It's a hugely enjoyable way to play the game but it doesn't happen overnight.

"We had probably the hardest pre-season I've ever had in my career but once we got that level of fitness it allowed us to play a game committed to keeping hold of the football where possible.

"There have been bad days, like against Bath and the fact that we conceded three soft tries against Bourgoin, but everyone is enjoying what we're trying to achieve and the progress we're making. We're all pulling together behind a coach (Cheika) who's very passionate and very articulate.

"We've spoken about the need to keep progressing. There is no one within the Leinster squad who is content to regard this season as one of development. We are still in the hunt in two competitions and that remains the focus."

So where will Saturday's game be decided?

"No surprise, that'll be won up front. We have to perform there and then it'll be up to the other units to ensure an all-round team performance. If we get parity then we'll have a good chance."