THE Scarlets will travel to Leinster a week after their Llanelli thrashing with Wales attack coach Rob Howley telling them it needn't be a trip to hell.

A 32-7 home hiding from Brian O'Driscoll and Co has left head coach Nigel Davies with a major job to rebuild confidence for the return in Dublin on Saturday.

But Howley doesn't accept the Scarlets will be beaten before they even step on to the Royal Dublin Society pitch to face the European champions.

"I would not say it was a trip to hell," said Howley.

"The Scarlets defeated Leinster in Llanelli earlier in the season and for much of the second half competed on equal terms with them last weekend.

"Those are the kind of things you have to cling on to.

"I know Leinster were missing a lot of players when they lost at Parc y Scarlets, and I know that the Heineken Cup game was largely settled by the time the Scarlets came more into it.

"But belief counts for a lot in rugby, more than a lot of people realise, and the Scarlets have to believe they are better than this latest result suggests.

"I'm sure Nigel will remind them that this season they have already won at London Irish."

Even so, Leinster can be particularly ruthless when they scent blood in the Irish capital.

The Scarlets did manage to defeat them there two seasons ago, astonishingly posting 52 points, but last year Michael Cheika's men carved them up 45-8.

And in four other Celtic league matches between the sides in Dublin, Leinster haven't failed to hit the 30-point mark.

Cheika was disappointed with the second-half show three days ago, but before the break his team played like champions.

"They were impressive," said Howley. "The key areas in the modern game are in the air and at the breakdown and Leinster dominated both. Rob Kearney caught everything and Sean O'Brien cleaned up on the floor.

"Jonathan Davies did well for the Scarlets, but against a team of Leinster's quality, playing with the kind of precision and class they showed in the first half, everyone has to be firing.

"The sides are at different stages of their development. Nigel is blooding a number of youngsters, while these Leinster players have been together for three or four years.

"The Scarlets will be disappointed with the way they played in the first half. But just because that happens one week, it doesn't follow it will be the same seven days later."

Mark Orders