A group of senior players have been attempting to galvanise the Scarlets after two heavy defeats, including those who have not even been featuring.

Confidence at the region will be at a low ebb following 93 points and 12 tries conceded in two heavy defeats to Munster and Leinster.

The performance against Munster was branded "embarrassing" by prop Rob Evans, who struggled to hide his emotions after the game.

There were slight improvements in terms of application against Leinster but the Scarlets still came off comfortably second best against the defending champions.

While senior players like captain Jonathan Davies and hooker Ken Owens will have been making their feelings known in the past fortnight, head coach Dwayne Peel also highlighted another group of players doing the same.

One of them was centre Steff Hughes, who was a mainstay in the side last term and has made 99 appearances for the region. He has not featured at all this term after the arrival of Scott Williams.

Peel also mentioned injured flanker James Davies, who has not played since representing Wales against Georgia in November 2020 due to ongoing concussion-related issues.

When asked who has been vocal in camp over the last fortnight, Peel said: "We have a leadership group. We’re fortunate to have a number of senior players here.

"But also the guys who haven’t been involved have been excellent - the likes of Steff Hughes - who have been driving the team from the sidelines. I know it’s difficult for them.

"Steff played a lot of rugby last year but hasn’t had an opportunity. He’s been driving things hard, Scotty Williams has been very vocal, Aaron Shingler as well.

"Then there’s the other senior players, too. It’s been good having input from people like James Davies in meetings as well.

"The boys are a good bunch, they’re together and they’re obviously hurting from the last two weeks and they should be. All of us should be.

"But it’s the start of the season for us, we’re trying to put things in place and we just need to get better each week."

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After the defeat to Munster, Peel was visibly shocked by what he had just witnessed as he attempted to find answers in his media conference.

This is a man who is synonymous with the region and became a club icon as a player.

He cares deeply about Llanelli and admits he has found it difficult to stop thinking about rugby over the last fortnight.

"There’s not been too much switching off, my wife will tell you that!" he chuckled during a press conference on Tuesday.

"The big thing for us is that we believe in where we’re going and where we want to be in nine months, 12 months and 18 months is what we need to be focused on.

"To get those characteristics and DNA throughout your squad takes time and we’re working hard at it.

"That’s the bottom line. We’re confident that we’re going in the right direction but we’re going to have weeks like that."

Peel boasts vast experience as a player and assistant coach. He has cut his teeth and, in most people’s estimations, was ready for a top job when the Scarlets appointed him.

But he concedes the past fortnight has been a learning curve.

"Yeah, 100%. It’s been a big learning curve in many ways.

"When you have negative experiences, it’s about how you react and where you can focus.

"There are obviously parts of the game where you reflect and understand that you probably didn’t get things right.

"The players are learning and us as coaches are learning. It’s about being honest with yourselves and making sure you’re getting better and improving.

"We’re all confident in what we can offer and where we want to go. It’s going to take that hard work."

The Scarlets welcome Benetton on Friday night and desperately need a win, but they will have to do it without their 10 Welsh internationals, who are now preparing to face the All Blacks on October 30.