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The Scarlets will be bidding to reach their first European final this weekend as they face Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final in Dublin.

The Irish province are heavy favourites though and it will take a mammoth effort from Wayne Pivac's side to win.

This is what the Scarlets must look out for if they are to make history and win.

Keep their wits about them

There is a reason Leinster are favourites to win the Champions Cup. They are as close to the complete team as you could hope to find in this year's competition.

While in the past, teams have won the competition by perfecting two or three key facets of the game and playing to their strengths, such as Munster or Saracens' emphasis on the kick-chase, set-piece and choking sides by bossing territory.

However, under the tutelage of Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster, the province have looked to beat teams in as many ways as possible. Dominance in the pack, set-piece ingenuity, heroic defensive efforts or bossing possession with stunning ball retention.

Some games, Johnny Sexton might pin the opposition back-three back with a range of kicks to build territory and pressure. Other times, they might go through 30-plus phases before striking.

Playing against that level of inventiveness and variation inevitably takes its toll and the smallest mistakes can have the biggest impact on games.

Take the quarter-final against Saracens. It was to all intents and purposes played at a Test level intensity. And in Test intensity, you give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.

Take Dan Leavy's crucial try which put Leinster in command.

It's a nice enough try that is well-constructed and finished by the Ireland flanker - but it's the Saracens defence switching off that gifts them the opportunity.

As Leinster go through the phases, Maro Itoje, circled in blue, is closer to the ruck than his teammate Juan Figallo.

(Image: BT Sport)

However, as Leinster recycle, Figallo (3) works hard to get round the ruck, with Itoje still walking.

Saracens would expect Figallo to take up his place as pillar, with Itoje then folding around late from the opposite side to cover if Leavy gets through.

(Image: BT Sport)

As Leavy gets the ball out of the ruck, that appears to be what Saracens are doing - with Figallo set at pillar and Itoje on the opposite side of the ruck.

(Image: BT Sport)

But for some reason, with the ball already out, Itoje goes in to counter-ruck - meaning that there is no Saracens defender folding around to cover the space.

Figallo then commits a sin of his own - biting on the ball-carrier and stepping out of pillar to make a tackle. One of the first things you are taught as a rugby player is that the pillar and guard don't move.

But, rather than trust his outside man to make the tackle, Figallo instinctively steps out to make the hit himself. Perhaps the reason he steps out is that he doesn't see his outside man, back-rower Jackson Wray, arrive until late having folded around from the last ruck.

(Image: BT Sport)

Throw in the fact that Itoje is committed to the last breakdown rather than folding around to cover and suddenly there is a large gap for Leavy to run into once he gets the ball back.

Despite the best efforts of Itoje, Leavy gets through and scores the decisive try that ultimately took the game away from the defending champions.

(Image: BT Sport)

What caused this lapse in concentration by Saracens? Perhaps it was seeing a forward hitting another forward runner next to him.

The picture that paints is that Leinster are just going through the phases - so Saracens switch off, not expecting the return pass to Leavy.

But ultimately, as much as it is about concentration, it is also about trust and communication.

Figallo has to trust his outside defenders to make the tackle outside him. As a rule of thumb though, Itoje should be working hard to cover the space in case Figallo does leave the pillar.

How the Scarlets' defence works

DTH van der Merwe, the former Scarlets winger, gives an insight into how Wayne Pivac and Byron Hayward allow the Scarlets to defend: "The coaches don't mind you making reads as long as your teammates follow. That's the freedom they give you."

This example from last year, which resulted in van der Merwe scoring against the Cardiff Blues, is in a very different situation but the same logic of trust and communication applies to an extent.

As the Blues go on the attack, van der Merwe is constantly checking where full-back Aled Thomas is - telling his teammate to step up into the line.

(Image: BBC)

Initially, Thomas does step up as the Blues attack narrow, but he then drops back again.

So once again, van der Merwe - identifying that the Blues have an overlap - calls him into the line.

(Image: BBC)

The second example happens off-screen, but you can see below where Thomas would have been defending were it not for the communication of the Canadian winger.

(Image: BBC)

With Thomas and van der Merwe now in the line, they are free to blitz.

Initally, they blitz narrow - baiting the Blues fly-half to throw a long pass to his outside backs.

(Image: BBC)

However, as the pass is made, van der Merwe pushes hard towards the touchline to cover the pass.

Thomas takes a risk and goes for the intercept.

If he misses the ball, it's a two-on-one - with the Scarlets relying on van der Merwe's early read stopping man-and-ball dead.

(Image: BBC)

Basically, get it wrong and they concede a try.

However, Thomas times the intercept well and eventually feeds van der Merwe to score himself.

A perfect reward for not only making a strong defensive read, but trusting teammates to follow too.

(Image: BBC)

The Scarlets will have to be wary of this facet of Leinster's play and it will take plenty of defensive organisation and communication, just like van der Merwe's example above, to stop.

However, given the defensive reads James Davies made from the unfamiliar position of wing against La Rochelle - and how Scott Williams guided him through by being vocal - the region shouldn't be underestimated in that regards.

Kick well - or be punished

It's not an area of strength that immediately springs to mind when thinking about Leinster, but their kick returns can be deadly if not dealt with.

Saracens, for so long proponents of a strong kick-chase game, conceded three tries against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. All three came from Leinster kick returns.

Perhaps it is the fact that Rob Kearney is not as explosive as he once was that fools others into assuming their kick return is not as dangerous as Glasgow Warriors' and Stuart Hogg, for example.

Kearney may not be like Hogg when it comes to returning loose kicks, but the 32-year-old still has plenty of rugby intelligence and nous. While Matteo Minozzi was wowing for Italy, it was Kearney who was quietly doing the business as arguably the full-back of the Six Nations.

And Leinster's system on kick returns plays on that intelligence, rather than pure speed and a sidestep as many kick returners do.

Rather than looking for space or an isolated forward, Leinster effectively employ 'blockers' who clear a path for Kearney.

What they are doing isn't illegal as such - so long as no Leinster players actually go out of their way to obstruct a chaser. And the province are masters at blurring that line.

However, the effects can be brilliant. Just by a few forwards holding their position, the chasers are forced to take a couple of extra steps and that can create gaps for Kearney and Leinster to exploit.

Think of it like an American Football team. The running back follows his blockers to find the best running lane created in the defence.

Against Saracens, they negated the box-kicking threat of Richard Wigglesworth by identifying his chasers early and making them work harder to close down the space on Kearney.

(Image: BT Sport)

As Wigglesworth kicks the ball away in the example above, the two blindside defenders for Leinster are already watching the chasers.

They continue to check them as they track back - doing everything within the law to make them take the longest route possible to Kearney.

(Image: BT Sport)

As such, what should have been a contestable kick is a clean catch for Kearney - and he can then take his pick in how he returns against the disrupted chase.

Leinster are then able to secure quick ball on the front-foot against a disorganised defence - which is how their first try came about.

(Image: BT Sport)

The Ireland full-back didn't feature last year at the RDS, but the ploy still worked with Joey Carberry at 15.

In the example from that match below, just note the Leinster players making their way back, highlighted with a red circle.

Carberry's job is to scan these and find a gap created by them.

(Image: BBC)

Running laterally, he spots two Leinster players in between Rhys Patchell and Rob Evans.

As long as these players just stand their ground, there should be a gap to exploit there.

(Image: BBC)

That is exactly where Carberry attacks - with Rob Evans unable to assist Patchell in the tackle.

Note the reaction of James Davies - he believes some illegal blocking has taken place.

On this occasion, the referee doesn't agree - but you wouldn't be surprised if Pivac and his staff mention that to Romain Poite before this weekend's clash.

(Image: BBC)

The Scarlets' best bet - which they did well last year at the RDS - is to kick to compete. As you can see from the Saracens game, that's easier said than done.

But if you can disrupt that first competition for the ball and get Leinster kicking the ball back to you in a game of kicking tennis, then those blockers become harder to employ with the offside line shifting so often.

Win that battle and it robs Leinster of front-foot ball in a key area.

Play the Scarlets way

Most important of all, they have to focus on playing their own game.

Everything highlighted above that they should be wary of Leinster doing, they have to take care of when it comes to themselves.

Yes, keep their wits about them - but also force Leinster to do the same.

Try to negate the Leinster kick return - but also back their own returning game, especially against the masterful boot of Johnny Sexton with at least one inexperienced name in their injury-hit back-three.

They got here for a reason and they must remember that.

Last season they went to the RDS and beat Leinster in the PRO12 semi-final by scoring three incredible tries.

If you watch those tries back, it can look like a team who are playing off-the-cuff rugby with width. But there's much more to it than that.

(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

As van der Merwe, who was in the squad for the semi-final and scored in the final a week later, says: "The thing with the Scarlets is they will be concentrating on their own game, not Leinster's.

"They'll just be working on their attack - making sure that they are all comfortable ball-playing - and their defensive structures.

"It's the same in attack. That's why you see Rob Evans and Ken Owens popping up at first-receiver, giving passes out the back to Rhys Patchell.

"With someone like Stephen Jones, he's not long out of the game so he has a fresh mind - it's all about picking up on weaknesses in the defence."

All their tries last year came from identifying weaknesses in the defence and exposing them ruthlessly.

They had just 38% possession and 35% territory, but still outscored Leinster three tries to two.

Take the first try. As they go wide, they have a six-on-five overlap on the blindside.

(Image: Guinness PRO14)

Their aim is to isolate the two defenders circled in blue below - who are defending very wide to cover James and Jonathan Davies, as you can see in the example above.

Scott Williams holds onto the ball, bringing the first defender onto him. James Davies then runs a hard line, which fixes the second defender.

That frees up the space for Jonathan Davies behind and Scott Williams gives him the pass.

(Image: Guinness PRO14)

Now that six-on-five is a three-on-one.

Isa Nacewa on the Leinster wing is forced to fly up to meet Jonathan Davies, but the Wales centre does well to avoid the tackle.

(Image: Guinness PRO14)

Stepping back into traffic, Davies does well to find John Barclay.

And the Scotland flanker keeps his composure to hold the full-back before putting Steff Evans over.

(Image: Guinness PRO14)

The key movements all happens in the space of about four seconds - but it clearly comes from hours and hours of work on the training ground.

Their excellent core skills, which run throughout the team, make these sort of tries possible.

"It's not really a game-by-game thing, it's more of a thing for the year. Buying into the philosophy and continuing what you have done," continues van der Merwe.

"It's all about sticking to their own game."

Do just that and history could be on the cards for the Scarlets.