With two victories already in the bag this season against Scarlets, Dillon Lewis insists Cardiff Blues must replicate that form as they hunt a hat-trick of wins over the west Wales side.
The prop retains the number three jersey for the trip to Llanelli on Saturday, after impressing in the win over Dragons last week, winning four turnovers during the narrow victory at Cardiff Arms Park.
With head coach Glenn Delaney departing Scarlets following their victory over Ospreys last week, Lewis expects to go head-to-head with a highly motivated side, but insists his side must remain focused on themselves.
“It feels like we’re having derby matches on a weekly basis at the moment,” said the Welsh international prop.
“This season has obviously been a little bit different for everyone but you always look forward to these derby matches, and they’ve all been really good games so far.
“We’re beaten Scarlets twice already this season, so this week has been about looking back on how we managed that. We know we’re going to have to perform to the same levels again this week.
“I’ve enjoyed the Rainbow Cup. It’s been a really stop-start season, so the boys are happy to have a few games to finish the club season off.
“We’re expecting Scarlets to come out like a wounded animal on Saturday. When you see a coach leaving a side, you always see a team bounce back the following week and putting in a big performance.
“We know they’ll bring a strong back and a good set of backs so the news earlier in the week doesn’t take anything away from the task we’ve got on our hands. We need to ensure that we’re focusing on ourselves.”
Earlier this week, Wales’ summer schedule was confirmed, as they host Canada followed by a double header against Argentina.
The prop is desperate to use Rainbow Cup matches to put himself in the frame for the summer Tests and add to his 28 caps to date.
The 25-year-old added: “You know that the international coaches are watching these big derby games, and they’re always seen in the stands.
“So it’s an opportunity for us to put our hand up before the squad is selected for the games over the summer.
“These end-of-season matches is a huge opportunity for boys to create an impression and earn that chance to represent Wales, especially with so many boys featuring in the Lions squad.”