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The Scarlets () are one of the four professional teams and are based in , . Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. The club was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season.

The Llanelli Scarlets were founded in 2003, as one of the five (now four) regional teams created by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The Scarlets are affiliated with a number of semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including Welsh Premier Division sides , Carmarthen Quins RFC and . Through the 2007–08 season, they played most of their games at in Llanelli, but they have also played matches at the Racecourse Ground in . The club's new stadium, Parc y Scarlets (), was constructed in nearby Pemberton, and opened in November 2008.

The Scarlets won the league twice: the initial 2003–04 Celtic League season, and the Pro12 in 2016–17, defeating Munster 46–22 in the 2017 Pro12 Grand Final.


History

Formation
In 2003, the WRU elected to reduce the top tier of Welsh professional rugby from nine clubs into five regions during the introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales, attempting to mirror the successful formats in Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Initially, it was planned to have a region playing at Stradey Park, with players coming from , and . This was then modified to have Llanelli and Swansea merging, while Neath joined with . Llanelli were opposed to both plans and requested standalone status. Eventually, Llanelli and were allowed to remain independent. The Llanelli Scarlets brand was officially launched on 7 July 2003.

Despite always having been a 100% owned Llanelli RFC subsidiary, the Scarlets were originally conceived as representing the whole of West and North Wales. In the early seasons of regional rugby, the Scarlets played a small number of games at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. While nominally continuing to be the regional franchisee for North Wales, the Scarlets presence there has diminished. As of 2018, the Scarlets consider their region to represent the three counties of , and .


2003–2014

2003–04 season
Largely drawn from the Llanelli RFC side that won the Welsh Cup the preceding year, the Scarlets carried that success forward into their inaugural season. They reached the last eight of the 2003–04 Heineken Cup and finished the Celtic League season as champions by four points over . In the Heineken Cup, the Scarlets were drawn in Pool 4 along with Northampton Saints, Agen and Borders. The Scarlets won five of their six matches, losing only to Agen, and finished top of their pool before losing to French club Biarritz 27–10 in the quarter-finals.


2004–05 season
The following season, however, was less successful. Plagued by injuries and retirements, as well as the departure of influential fly-half Stephen Jones to Clermont, the Scarlets finished a disappointing fifth in the league. They were even less successful in the Heineken Cup, winning just two of their six pool games to finish third behind Northampton and . The salvation of their season came in reaching the final of the Celtic Cup, which they lost 26–17 to .


2005–06 season
The Scarlets again failed to qualify from their Heineken Cup group in 2005–06 and finished sixth in the Celtic League. They did, however, find more success in the newly restructured . After finishing at the top of their pool, they defeated by one point in the semi-finals to reach the final against at Twickenham; missing several international players, they lost 26–10. In the Heineken Cup, it was a similar story to the previous season, with the Scarlets winning two of their six fixtures to finish third in the pool again, behind Toulouse and Wasps. Despite finishing sixth in the Celtic League, the team qualified for the Heineken Cup for the 2006–07 season as the second-best-placed Welsh team in the league. They also re-signed Stephen Jones, and full-back Barry Davies extended his contract to stay with the Scarlets. The Scarlets' Director of Rugby, , had been appointed as Wales' national team coach, having been with the region since its inception. Phil Davies, then coach of , replaced Jenkins at the Scarlets.


2006–07 season
At the first home game of the 2006–07 season, an information sheet was handed out to supporters with details of the club's financial situation. There was opposition by local residents to plans by the Scarlets to move to a new stadium and sell their current ground for housing development. The information sheet stated that, due to delays caused by the opposition and benefactors pulling out of the club, it was "extremely unlikely that the could survive to the end of the present season unless other financial assistance is found", which would result in "the loss, probably for all time, of professional rugby in West Wales." Local residents believed, however, that the infrastructure, such as roads and schools, will not cope with 450 new houses being built on the site. On 28 November 2006, the regions secured investment from Tim Griffiths, a London-based businessman.

In the 2006–07 Heineken Cup, the Scarlets recorded one of the most famous victories in their brief history as a region, defeating Toulouse 41–34 away, despite twice trailing by 21 points. This was an unexpected victory, despite the Scarlets having won their first three games of the 2006–07 competition. They later secured their place in the Heineken Cup quarter-final with a convincing 35–11 win over Ulster at Ravenhill. The Scarlets went on to become only the fifth team in the history of the competition to win all their pool matches. They beat current holders Munster 24–15 at in the quarter-finals, but were beaten 33–17 in the semis by a strong side, putting an end to their hopes of making it 'third time lucky' in Heineken Cup semi-finals.


2007–08 season
On 30 April 2008, Phil Davies was replaced by Nigel Davies after a sixth-place finish in the Celtic League and an end of season slump.


2008–09 season
The Scarlets moved from Stradey Park at the end of November 2008 to a new ground at Pemberton called Parc y Scarlets. The final Scarlets match played at Stradey Park was on 24 October 2008, against in the group stage of the Anglo-Welsh Cup. The Scarlets won 27–0 in front of a capacity crowd, which included former Llanelli captains such as and .

The Scarlets' first match at their new home was an 18–16 Celtic League defeat to Munster on 28 November 2008. Their first Heineken Cup match at Parc y Scarlets was held on 12 December against Ulster and finished in a 16–16 draw. Both matches were held with reduced capacity, as law requires that a new stadium hold three events at reduced capacity before it is authorised for its full capacity. The official opening ceremony was on 31 January 2009, when the Scarlets faced the Barbarians.


2011–12 season
During the 2011–12 season, the Scarlets were unable to progress to the knockout rounds of the Heineken Cup, but placing second in their pool earned them an automatic drop-down spot in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup. They lost the resulting fixture against Brive 15–12, despite scoring the only try of the match through Liam Williams.

Nigel Davies departed the club at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, and was replaced by defence coach and longtime Scarlets player, .


2014–2019: Wayne Pivac years

2014–15 season
In May 2014, it was confirmed that the four Welsh regions would compete in the annual Premiership Sevens Series after a three-year deal was agreed with .

After the 2013–14 season, the Scarlets had numerous changes in coaching staff. Forwards coach Danny Wilson departed for Bristol, while joined as a defense coach. was hired as an assistant coach, but selected as head coach when Simon Easterby left the position to become forwards coach with Ireland.

Under Pivac, the Scarlets' performances did not immediately turn around. Centre Jonathan Davies left for Clermont ahead of the 2014–15 season, but was signed from Auckland, and reunited with former coach Pivac. Mid-table finishes continued for the next two seasons. Mark Jones departed in 2015, replaced by long time Scarlets fly-half and London Wasps attack coach Stephen Jones.


2016–17 season
Ahead of 2016, joined the side. The Irish forward arrived from , and capable of playing at lock and in the back row, proved to be an influential player in the pack. Recruitment was further bolstered with Crusaders back and the return of Jonathan Davies from France. Fly-half was signed from , with moving in the opposite direction. The season started poorly, with the Scarlets losing their first three matches. Improvements throughout the season saw the Scarlets finish in third place in the table, qualifying for the play-offs. The Scarlets beat Leinster away at the RDS Stadium, 27–15, despite winger being sent off in the first half. The Scarlets beat Munster in the final with an emphatic 46–22 win. This was the Scarlets second title, their first having come in 2004 during the first Celtic League season.


2017–18 season
The Scarlets looked to maintain their title the following season in the inaugural Pro14 tournament. joined from , replacing outgoing fullback Liam Williams. They topped their pool in the Champions Cup, and defeated 29–17 in the quarter-final. The Scarlets fell short of the final, losing to eventual winners Leinster in their semi-final.

They again reached the final in the league, having defeated the Cheetahs and in the knock-out rounds, but came up short against Leinster, losing 40–32 in the final despite a late flurry of tries and a hat-trick from Johnny McNicholl.


2018–19 season
Wayne Pivac was announced as 's successor as Wales coach after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. With him left Stephen Jones and Byron Hayward, who joined Pivac on the Wales coaching staff.

Crusaders assistant coach was announced as the next head coach in December 2018.


Project Reset
In 2018, the Welsh Rugby Union sought to reform club rugby in Wales. Salaries had increased as they worked to entice Welsh players abroad to return, and they aimed to streamline costs with a banding system. The Professional Rugby Board (PRB) was created between the WRU and clubs to attempt to identify a sustainable path forward. The PRB evaluated numerous options including mergers and relocations of clubs, and by early 2019 felt the preferable option was to merge the Scarlets with west Wales rivals the Ospreys; the Swansea club having made a made an approach to the Scarlets in late 2018. This was not the first time a west Wales super club had been mooted; during the 2003 formation of regional rugby, a combination of the Llanelli, Swansea, and Neath forming a unified club was initially proposed. The new combined club would play league matches at Parc y Scarlets, with European fixtures at the Ospreys' . Shortly after the proposal was revealed, Scarlets ownership indicated the merger was "off the table", with Ospreys chairman Mike James resigning, and the club formation ultimately remaining unchanged.


2019–2021: Coaching changes

2019–20 season
New coach Brad Mooar started the 2019 season well, winning five out of the first six matches, but left before settling in, having been selected by new All Blacks coach Ian Foster to join his staff as assistant coach. The Scarlets and the New Zealand Rugby Union agreed to a release for Mooar, and his assistant coach was named as his successor.


2020–21 season
Former Scarlets was announced as head coach for the forthcoming season, with Delaney moving to a Director of Rugby role. Peel was at the time contracted to join Cardiff Blues for the following season, as an assistant coach responsible for attack. Following the dismissal of Blues head coach John Mulvihill, former coach Dai Young made a return to the club initially as interim head coach and finally Director of Rugby. Due to this new coaching structure, the Scarlets and Blues came to an agreement allowing for Peel to no longer join Cardiff as an assistant coach, and instead join the Scarlets as head coach.

After a poor run of matches, Delaney was relieved of his duties as head coach and departed the club before assuming the Director of Rugby role, with stepping in as caretaker head coach.


2021–present: Dwayne Peel era

2021–22 season
Ahead of the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship, Leinster skills coach Hugh Hogan was brought in as defence coach. The Scarlets finished in 10th place, and narrowly missed out on winning the newly created URC Welsh Shield. Hogan departed after one season, being replaced by Wales assistant coach Gareth Williams.


2022–23 season
Few signings were made prior to the 2022–23 United Rugby Championship season, with All Blacks utility forward the headline acquisition, while Liam Williams departed for Cardiff following his second spell with the club. Longtime prop Rob Evans followed Steffan Hughes, and former Dragon Angus O'Brien to the , along with backs coach Dai Flanagan, who was named as their new head coach.

Following their collapse in October 2022, Wasps head coach joined as backs coach for the remainder of the season. The season began poorly for the Scarlets, winning only one URC match prior to the international window. Wales prop joined midseason, with remaining sidelined with a long-term injury. Upon regrouping, fortunes had changed, with the team winning both matches in the first two rounds of the 2022–23 EPCR Challenge Cup pool stage, putting themselves at the top of their pool. They then beat and the Cheetahs in the return matches to finish top of the pool and set up a round of 16 knockout fixture at home against . The Scarlets followed up on their European victory the following week, beating the Bulls despite missing numerous players to Wales call-ups, and earning their first victory over the Pretoria-based team.

During the Six Nations, they secured a bonus-point win against Edinburgh, and two bonus points in a loss away to Munster, in which they came back from 35–7 down at half-time. They then secured their second win over South African opposition of the season with a 32–20 win over a Sharks team heavily laden with Springboks. The Scarlets made their way into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, after beating Brive 19–7, facing ASM Clermont Auvergne at home. This was the Scarlets first European quarter-final fixture since the 2019–20 season. The Scarlets won the match 32–30, with a late try by Ryan Conbeer and a match-winning conversion from Sam Costelow three minutes from full-time, propelling them into a home semi-final. The Scarlets lost the resultant semi-final, their final match of the season.

The squad saw fifteen players leave the club, owing to the reduced salary caps imposed by the WRU. Notable departures included , , and , who spent his entire professional career with the club. and were both released, and subsequently signed for the Dragons. In the backroom, Nigel Ashley-Jones departed the club after two seasons to join Eddie Jones with the Australia national rugby union team. left following his short-term agreement with the club, joining . Forwards coach returned to New Zealand.


2023–24 season
Joining the club were Welsh international from , and former Scarlet returning from . Numerous renewals were also confirmed, such as lock pair Morgan Jones and , centres , Joe Roberts, and Eddie James, and prop – all players developed from the Scarlets academy. Sam Wainwright signed a full contract, following on from his short-term deal. Hooker signed an extension, despite interest from abroad. Also signed was former New Zealand U20 back row , who qualified for Wales and was quickly called up to the Welsh squad for World Cup preparations. Added to the restructured Scarlets academy were lock Ed Scragg, and Loughborough duo and Teddy Leatherbarrow.

Clermont coach signed as the new attack coach, with Lions coach Albert van den Berg joining as the forwards coach. Shane Carney took over as Head of Athletic Performance, reuniting with Peel, having worked at together previously.

Few wins were seen during the season, the highlights being a home and away win against local rivals , and earning a first win outside of Wales with a victory over . In the Challenge Cup, they lost every match, and failed to earn a single point on the table. They finished the season with a win, in the annual Judgement Day fixture against the Dragons.

During the season, defence coach Gareth Williams was removed from his position, with Jared Payne moving from attack to replace him, and Peel becoming responsible for the attack. Samson Lee announced his retirement mid-season, having failed to fully recover from a long-standing injury. Johnny McNicholl was released early to return home to New Zealand, joining the Crusaders as cover for former Scarlet Leigh Halfpenny. Notably, former Scarlets and Wales captain retired prior to the end of the season, having spent his entire professional career with the club.

Also departing the club were two more capped British Lions: Jonathan Davies and Wyn Jones; Welsh international Scott Williams; and academy products Dan Jones and .


Name and colours
The Scarlets took their name from the nickname of Llanelli RFC, their main feeder club. Llanelli have played in red since 1884 when they played a game against a touring Ireland side. This close link with Llanelli RFC has also led to the Scarlets adopting the scarlet red colour for their primary jerseys, with their secondary colours generally being blue.

The region was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets, but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season to more accurately represent the area covered by the region.


Kit suppliers
2003–2009
2009–2010Rhino
2010–2014
2014–2017Kooga
2017–2022Macron
2022–presentCastore


Stadium
From 2003 to the 2007–08 season, the Scarlets played most of their home matches at Llanelli's Stradey Park (also the home of Llanelli RFC). However, they have played several games in North Wales, at 's Racecourse Ground, to promote the region's geographical representation. The last league game played at the Racecourse Ground was in September 2005. The 2006–07 season was planned to be the last season played at Stradey Park, which was subsequently to be demolished for the building of apartments. The Scarlets played every home game of the 2006–07 season at Stradey Park to commemorate the historic ground. They played their last game at Stradey Park on 24 October 2008 against Bristol, and their first game at Parc y Scarlets on 28 November 2008 against Munster.

The new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC, known as Parc y Scarlets (), is in Pemberton. The new stadium cost £23 million to be constructed and holds 14,340 spectators. The first game held at the stadium saw Llanelli RFC play Cardiff RFC on 15 November 2008. The stadium's main stand is located on the south side of the ground, and houses the new Scarlets museum and club shop, as well as a sports bar, the players' changing rooms and a players' gym. Stadium blueprints planned for the main stand to be about tall. Outside the stadium there is a training barn for the players, as well as a training pitch and athletics track. The remainder of the site is taken up by the retail park.


Current squad
Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players, L denotes a player on loan at the club,
ST denotes a player on a short-term deal at the club,
* denotes players qualified to play for Wales on residency or dual nationality.
Players and their allocated positions from the Scarlets website.


Senior Academy squad
Props
  • Yestyn Cook*
  • Gabe Hawley*
  • Josh Morse
  • Tom Phillips
  • Jac Pritchard

Hookers

  • Harry Thomas
  • Isaac Young

Locks

  • Dylan Alford
  • Will Evans
  • Kai Jones
  • Sam Williams

Back row

  • Joe Denman
  • Keanu Evans
  • Dom Kossuth
  • Tiaan Sparrow
  • Osian Williams

Scrum-halves

  • Rhodri Lewis

Fly-halves

  • Steffan Jac Jones
  • Carwyn Leggatt-Jones

Centres
  • Gabe McDonald
  • Elis Price
  • Gryff Watkins

Wings

  • Thomas Williams
  • Callum Woolley

Fullbacks

(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players.
* denotes players qualified to play for Wales on residency or dual nationality.
Players and their allocated positions from the Scarlets website.


Notable players

Club captains
Celtic League: 1 (2004)
Pro12: 1 (2017)


Rugby World Cup
The following players have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup, while playing for the Scarlets:

200310, , Mark Jones, Stephen Jones, , , Mark Taylor, , Chris WyattCanada:
20079, Mark Jones, Stephen Jones, , , Ireland: ; Samoa: Mahonri Schwalger; Scotland: Scott MacLeod
201111Jonathan Davies, Stephen Jones, , , , , Scott WilliamsFiji: ; Scotland: ; Tonga: ,
20157Jake Ball, Gareth Davies, , , Scott Williams, Liam WilliamsCanada: D. T. H. van der Merwe
201913Jake Ball, Gareth Davies, James Davies, Jonathan Davies, , , Wyn Jones, , , , Samoa: ; Scotland:
20237, Gareth Davies, , , Johnny WilliamsTonga: ,


British & Irish Lions
The following players were selected for the British & Irish Lions touring squads while contracted to the Scarlets:
2005New Zealand0–3,
2009South Africa1–2Stephen Jones,
2013Australia2–1Jonathan Davies,
2017New Zealand1–1Jonathan Davies, , Liam Williams
2021South Africa1–2Gareth Davies, Wyn Jones, , Liam Williams

Stephen Jones was also selected for the 2005 Lions tour while playing for Clermont Auvergne, while George North was also selected for the 2017 tour while playing for Northampton Saints. Former Scarlets , and were also selected for the Lions on the 2001 tour to Australia while playing for . Gareth Davies was brought into the 2017 Lions squad as injury cover towards the end of the tour, but did not play in any games.


Notable former internationals
Players who have won over 20 international caps and have played for the Scarlets:


Coaching staff

First-team management
Head coach and attack coach
Defence coach
Forwards coach
Contact area coach
Head of Athletic Performance
Head of medical
Performance director
Director and general manager
Recruitment and operations officer


Academy management
Transition and academy head coach
Skills coach
Skills coach
Skills coach
Skills coach


Head coaches
2003–2006
2006–2008
2008–2012
2012–2014
2014–2019
2019–2020
2020–2021
2021
2021–present


Results and statistics

Seasons
  • 2003–04 Llanelli Scarlets season
  • 2004–05 Llanelli Scarlets season
  • 2005–06 Llanelli Scarlets season
  • 2006–07 Llanelli Scarlets season
  • 2007–08 Llanelli Scarlets season
  • 2008–09 Scarlets season
  • 2009–10 Scarlets season
  • 2010–11 Scarlets season
  • 2011–12 Scarlets season
  • 2012–13 Scarlets season
  • 2013–14 Scarlets season
  • 2014–15 Scarlets season
  • 2015–16 Scarlets season
  • 2016–17 Scarlets season
  • 2017–18 Scarlets season
  • 2018–19 Scarlets season
  • 2019–20 Scarlets season
  • 2020–21 Scarlets season
  • 2021–22 Scarlets season
  • 2022–23 Scarlets season
  • 2023–24 Scarlets season
  • 2024–25 Scarlets season


Honours
  • Celtic League/Pro12/Pro14:
    • Winners: 2003–04, 2016–17
    • Runners-up: 2017–18
  • United Rugby Championship Welsh Shield
    • Runners-up: 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024–25
  • Celtic Cup
    • Runners-up: 2004–05
    • Runners-up: 2005–06


Celtic League / Pro12 / Pro14 / United Rugby Championship
2003–0476
2004–0546
2005–0657
2006–0757
2007–0839
2008–0940
2009–1029
2010–1162
2011–1262
2012–1366
Lost 28–17 v
2013–1455
2014–1557
2015–1663
2016–1777
Won 27–15 v
Won 46–22 v
2017–1870
Won 46–8 v Cheetahs
Won 28–13 v
Lost 40–32 v
2018–1952
Lost 21–10 v Ospreys
2019–2047
2020–2139
2021–2245
2022–2334
2023–2427
2024–2548
Lost 33–21 v


Pro14 Rainbow Cup
2020–2113


Celtic Cup
2003–04Quarter-finalLlanelli Scarlets 12–14
2004–05Quarter-final 19–49 Llanelli Scarlets
Semi-finalLlanelli Scarlets 23–15 Neath–Swansea Ospreys
Final 27–16 Llanelli Scarlets


Heineken Cup / European Champions Cup
2003–0423
Quarter-finalLlanelli Scarlets 10–27 Biarritz Olympique
2004–0513
2005–0612
2006–0727
Quarter-finalLlanelli Scarlets 24–15
Semi-final 33–17 Llanelli Scarlets
2007–080
2008–098
2009–1017
2010–1115
2011–1215
2012–132
2013–1411
2014–158
2015–162
2016–1711
2017–1821
Quarter-finalScarlets 29–17
Semi-final 38–16 Scarlets
2018–197
2020–219
Round of 16Scarlets 14–57
2021–222


European Challenge Cup
2009–10Quarter-final 38–12 Scarlets
2011–12Quarter-final 15–11 Scarlets
2019–2019
Quarter-final 11–6 Scarlets
2022–2318
Round of 16Scarlets 19–7
Quarter-finalScarlets 32–30 Clermont Auvergne
Semi-finalScarlets 17–35
2023–240
2024-2511
Round of 16 36–14 Scarlets


Anglo-Welsh Cup
2005–0612
Semi-finalLlanelli Scarlets 27–26
Final 26–10 Llanelli Scarlets
2006–075
2007–0811
2008–098
2009–1011
2010–119
2011–1215
Semi-finalNorthampton Saints 27–12 Llanelli Scarlets
2012–138
2013–148
2014–155
2016–175
2017–181


Individual honours and records

United Rugby Championship
United Rugby Championship Team of the Year
The following Scarlets players were selected in the team of the year.

, , ,
None selected
None selected
Jonathan Davies,
Jonathan Davies,
Gareth Davies, , Liam Williams
Liam Williams
None selected
James Davies,
, Rob Evans, , ,
None selected
None selected
None selected
None selected
, Marnus van der Merwe

United Rugby Championship player records

TriesGareth Davies55
AppearancesPhil John192
Points770
Successful goal kicks270
Updated 28 April 2025

United Rugby Championship individual awards

Top try scorer, Barry Davies (joint)2006–077
Gareth Davies2013–1410
2016–1711
Turnover king2019–20
Golden Boot2024–25124

United Rugby Championship team awards

  • 2012–13: Collision Kings
  • 2017–18: Fairplay Award


ERC Elite Awards
For the 10th anniversary season of the Heineken Cup, ERC, the tournament organisers, introduced the ERC Elite Awards scheme to recognise and reward the players and teams who have made outstanding contributions to the tournament. The Scarlets were awarded the ERC team award for playing 50 games, and Robin McBryde, John Davies, Dafydd James and were recognised for having made 50 appearances in the competition.


See also


External links

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