Rugby: De Luca says caging Lyons will be key

Published on Wednesday 2 December 2009 08:41

NICK DE LUCA has highlighted a record-breaking Australian breakaway forward as a major threat to Edinburgh Rugby maintaining Magners Celtic League success at Llanelli Scarlets on Friday.

One of the key figures standing between second-placed Edinburgh claiming their fifth win out of eight is 44-times capped forward David Lyons, who joined the Scarlets only after a run of 83 consecutive games for New South Wales which was unprecedented for an Australian player. However, a knee injury ended that sequence and put him out of the entire 2007 season.

"We know Lyons will be playing in the back-row and he's a big, strong, ball-carrier who'll have to be stopped at source," said De Luca, who was speaking at the launch of an Edinburgh Rugby charity calendar.

The 14-times capped centre De Luca has extra reason to relish the fixture having scored tries in both the latest two instalments of the fixture at Murrayfield and he feels the time has never been better to strike in the valleys.

"I have scored tries against Llanelli in the last two seasons both on occasions at home.

"We travel knowing they are going well and on a high after their Heineken European Cup exploits," he says.

That was a reference to how Scarlets opened with a win over Brive then pulled off a memorable success away to the highly-fancied London Irish to top their qualifying group.

Edinburgh showed that they can be at their best post- internationals when they reeled off six straight wins following the 2009 Six Nations Championship.

Can the pattern be repeated after the Autumn programme?

De Luca said: "Hopefully we can kick on the way we did last season. The boys have had Scotland games, A team outings and opportunities for Gael Force (the combined academy/pro side who compete in the British and Irish Cup), so it will be a case of getting back together quickly.

"Immediately after visiting Llanelli, we are on the road again to Bath in the Heineken European Cup where the aim will be to repeat the win we managed there in a pre-season friendly a couple of years ago."

&#149 SUPPORTERS can get their hands on a copy of the calendar (priced at 10) tomorrow by visiting the Scottish Rugby Store (situated next to Murrayfield's West Stand) or by pre-ordering by calling 0131-346 5044.