Scarlets

For other uses, see Scarlet (disambiguation).

Scarlets

Union	Welsh Rugby Union
Founded	2003
Ground(s)	Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli (Capacity: 14,870)
Chairman	Nigel Short
CEO	Mark Davies
President	Phil Bennett
Coach(es)	Simon Easterby
Captain(s)	Rob McCusker
Most caps	Vernon Cooper (369)
Top scorer	Stephen Jones (2,850)
Most tries	Wayne Proctor (173)
League(s)	Pro 12
2012–13	4th
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.scarlets.co.uk

The Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Llanelli, south-west Wales the team play at the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the Pro 12, as well as competing in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup. The region was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season, following the lead of the Ospreys in 2005.

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 Llanelli RFC, Carmarthen Quins RFC and Llandovery RFC. Through the 2007–08 season, they played most of their games at Stradey Park in Llanelli, but they have also played matches at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. The club's new stadium, Parc y Scarlets (English: Scarlets Park), was constructed in nearby Pemberton, and opened in November 2008.

History

Formation

A diagram showing the representation of the regions throughout Wales as they exist today

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 Llanelli, Swansea and Neath. This was then modified to have Llanelli and Swansea merging, while Neath joined with Bridgend. Llanelli were opposed to both plans and requested standalone status. Eventually, Llanelli and Cardiff were allowed to remain independent. The Llanelli Scarlets brand was officially launched on 7 July 2003.

The Scarlets officially represent the whole of West and North Wales, based mostly around Llanelli, although attempts have been made at taking the club to other outposts such as Wrexham. Ownership of the Scarlets brand is in the hands of Llanelli RFC, which also runs a second team in the Principality Premiership in the same way as Cardiff.

2003–present

Largely drawn from the very successful Llanelli RFC side of 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 Ulster. In the Heineken Cup, the Scarlets were drawn in Pool Four along with Northampton Saints, Agen and Border Reivers. The Scarlets won five of their six matches, losing only to Agen, and finished at the top of their pool before losing to French club Biarritz 27–10 in the quarter-final.

The following season, however, was less successful. Plagued by injuries and retirements, as well as the transfer 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 in the pool behind Northampton Saints and Toulouse. The salvation of their season came in reaching the final of the Celtic Cup, in which they lost 26–17 to Munster.

Scarlets players during a league match against Glasgow Warriors in 2006

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 Anglo-Welsh Cup. After finishing at the top of their pool, they defeated Bath by one point in the semi-finals to reach the final against London Wasps 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, Gareth Jenkins, had been appointed as Wales' national team coach, having been with the region since its inception. Phil Davies, then coach of Leeds Tykes, replaced Jenkins at the Scarlets.

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 Llanelli Scarlets] 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 Stradey Park in the quarter-finals, but were beaten 33–17 in the semis by a strong Leicester side, putting an end to their hopes of making it 'third time lucky' in Heineken Cup semi-finals. On 30 April 2008, Phil Davies was controversially sacked as the Scarlets' head coach. The reasons for his departure remain unclear, but it is believed that he found out via the media before being informed by club chairman Stuart Gallacher.

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 Bristol 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 Delme Thomas and Phil Bennett.

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 which ended 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.

Name and colours

Scarlets logos

2003–2008

2008–

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.

Stadium

Scarlets current home ground, Parc y Scarlets

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 Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, to promote the region's geographical representation. 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 (English: Scarlets Park), is in Pemberton. The new stadium cost £23 million to be constructed and holds 14,340 spectators. The first game held at the stadium was Llanelli RFC versus Cardiff RFC held 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 20 metres (66 ft) 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 Parc Trostre retail park.

Current Standings

Pro 12 Table
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Difference	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Bonus	Losing Bonus	Points
1	Ulster (F)	22	17	1	4	577	348	+229	62	33	8	3	81
2	Leinster (F)	22	17	0	5	585	386	+199	63	46	9	1	78
3	Glasgow Warriors (SF)	22	16	0	6	541	324	+217	66	30	9	3	76
4	Scarlets (SF)	22	15	0	7	436	406	+30	41	37	3	3	66
5	Ospreys	22	14	1	7	471	342	+129	48	25	2	2	62
6	Munster	22	11	1	10	442	389	+53	46	34	4	4	54
7	Benetton Treviso	22	10	2	10	414	450	–36	45	44	4	2	50
8	Connacht	22	8	1	13	358	422	–64	32	43	1	3	38
9	Cardiff Blues	22	8	0	14	348	487	–139	28	51	1	5	38
10	Edinburgh	22	7	0	15	399	504	–105	35	51	1	7	36
11	Newport Gwent Dragons	22	6	0	16	358	589	–231	31	72	1	3	28
12	Zebre	22	0	0	22	291	573	–282	29	60	1	9	10
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest number of red cards received; the fewest number of yellow cards received.
Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Qualification for the Heineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest–ranked Irish teams, three highest–ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Leinster won the Amlin Challenge Cup, giving Ireland an extra Heineken Cup place that passed to Connacht. Updated 17 May 2013. Source: RaboDirect PRO12

Players

Current squad

As of 22 January 2013

• Internationally capped players in bold

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.

Player Position Union Kirby Myhill Hooker Wales Ken Owens Hooker Wales Emyr Phillips Hooker Wales Matthew Rees Hooker Wales Jacobie Adriaanse Prop South Africa Peter Edwards Prop England Rob Evans Prop Wales Shaun Hopkins Prop Wales Phil John Prop Wales Rhodri Jones Prop Wales Samson Lee Prop Wales Deacon Manu Prop Fiji Jake Ball* Lock Australia George Earle Lock South Africa Joel Galley Lock Wales Richard Kelly Lock Wales Johan Snyman Lock South Africa Sione Timani Lock Tonga Duane Eager Flanker Wales Johnathan Edwards Flanker Wales Rob McCusker (c) Flanker Wales Craig Price Flanker Wales Richie Pugh Flanker Wales Lewis Rawlins Flanker Wales Aaron Shingler Flanker Wales Dan Thomas Flanker Wales Josh Turnbull Flanker Wales Kieran Murphy Number 8 Wales

Player Position Union Aled Davies Scrum-half Wales Gareth Davies Scrum-half Wales Tavis Knoyle Scrum-half Wales Rhodri Williams Scrum-half Wales Rhys Jones Fly-half Wales Daniel Newton Fly-half Wales Rhys Priestland Fly-half Wales Aled Thomas Fly-half Wales Jordan Williams Fly-half Wales Owen Williams Fly-half Wales Jonathan Davies Centre Wales Gareth Maule Centre Wales Nic Reynolds Centre Wales Adam Warren Centre Wales Scott Williams Centre Wales Kyle Evans Wing Wales Andy Fenby Wing Wales Dale Ford Wing Wales George North Wing Wales Kristian Phillips Wing Wales Lee Williams Wing Wales Gareth Owen Fullback Wales Liam Williams Fullback Wales

* Jake Ball is eligible to play internationally for Wales.

Transfers In 2013-14 season

• Steven Shingler from London Irish
• John Barclay from Glasgow Warriors
• Kyle Evans from Llanelli RFC

Transfers Out 2013-14 season

• Matthew Rees to Cardiff Blues
• Owen Williams to Leicester
• Andy Fenby to London Irish
• George North to Northampton Saints
• Dan Newton to London Scottish
• Tavis Knoyle to Gloucester Rugby
• Sione Timani released
• Peter Edwards released
• Rhys Jones released
• Dale Ford released
• Richie Pugh released

British and Irish Lions

The following players were selected for the British and Irish Lions touring squads whilst playing for the Scarlets:

• 2005: Simon Easterby, Dwayne Peel
• 2009: Stephen Jones, Matthew Rees
• 2013: Jonathan Davies, George North

Stephen Jones was also selected for the 2005 Lions tour whilst playing for Clermont Auvergne. Former Scarlets Scott Quinnell, Robin McBryde and Dafydd James were also selected for the Lions on the 2001 tour to Australia while playing for Llanelli RFC.

Notable former players

Players who have won over 20 international caps and have played for the Scarlets in the past:

• Lee Byrne
• John Davies
• Leigh Davies
• Dafydd James
• Mark Jones
• Stephen Jones
• Robin McBryde
• Dwayne Peel
• Mike Phillips
• Alix Popham
• Wayne Proctor
• Scott Quinnell
• Mark Taylor
• Iestyn Thomas
• Chris Wyatt
• Simon Easterby
• Dave Hewett
• Kees Meeuws
• Mahonri Schwalger
• Bruce Douglas
• Sean Lamont
• Inoke Afeaki
• Mike Hercus
• Dave Hodges
• Matthew Rees
• George North
• Sione Timani

Coaching staff

Head coaches

Name	Tenure
Gareth Jenkins	2003–2006
Phil Davies	2006–2008
Nigel Davies	2008–2012
Simon Easterby	2012–

Current backroom staff

Correct as of 30 June 2012

Name	Title
Simon Easterby	Head coach
Garan Evans	Team manager
Mark Jones	Backs coach
Ioan Cunningham	Academy skills coach
Brad Harrington	Head of strength and conditioning
Ryan Campbell	Strength and conditioning coach
Rhys Jones	Assistant strength and conditioning coach
Patrick Moran	Physiotherapist
Gareth Potter	Performance analyst
Joe Lewis	Analyst

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

Celtic League

Season	Pos	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Bonus	Points
2003–04	1st	22	16	1	5	10	76
2004–05	5th	20	9	0	11	10	46
2005–06	6th	22*	10	1	9	7	57
2006–07	4th	20	12	0	8	9	57
2007–08	6th	18	7	0	11	10	39
2008–09	5th	18	9	0	9	4	40
2009–10	9th	18	5	0	13	9	29
2010–11	5th	22	12	1	9	12	62
2011–12	5th	22	12	2	8	10	62
2012–13	4th	22	15	0	7	6	66
	Semi-final	Ulster v Scarlets

* Includes 2 "Free Weekends" which equated to 4 points each.

Celtic Cup

Season	Round	Match
2003–04	Quarter-final	Llanelli Scarlets 12 – 14 Connacht
2004–05	Final	Munster 27 – 16 Llanelli Scarlets

Heineken Cup

Season	Pool/Round	Pos	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Bonus	Points
2003–04	Pool 4	1st	6	5	0	1	3	23
	Quarter-final	Llanelli Scarlets 10 – 27 Biarritz Olympique
2004–05	Pool 3	3rd	6	2	0	4	5	13
2005–06	Pool 6	3rd	6	2	0	4	4	12
2006–07	Pool 5	1st	6	6	0	0	3	27
	Quarter-final	Llanelli Scarlets 24 – 15 Munster
	Semi-final	Leicester Tigers 33 – 17 Llanelli Scarlets
2007–08	Pool 5	4th	6	0	0	6	0	0
2008–09	Pool 4	4th	6	1	1	4	2	8
2009–10 (HC)	Pool 6	2nd	6	4	0	2	1	17
2009–10 (ACC)	Quarter-final	RC Toulonnais 38 – 12 Scarlets
2010–11	Pool 5	3rd	6	3	0	3	3	15
2011–12 (HC)	Pool 1	2nd	6	3	0	3	3	15
2011–12 (ACC)	Quarter-final	Brive 15 – 11 Scarlets
2012–13	Pool 5	4th	6	0	0	6	2	2

Anglo-Welsh Cup

Season	Group/Round	Pos	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Bonus	Points
2005–06	Group C	1st	3	3	0	0	0	12
	Semi-final	Llanelli Scarlets 27–26 Bath Rugby
	Final	London Wasps 26–10 Llanelli Scarlets
2006–07	Group C	3rd	3	1	0	2	1	5
2007–08	Group D	2nd	3	2	0	1	3	11
2008–09	Group D	2nd	3	2	0	1	0	8
2009–10	Pool 2	2nd	4	2	1	1	1	11
2010–11	Pool 3	3rd	4	2	0	2	1	9
2011–12	Pool 3	1st	4	3	0	1	3	15
	Semi-final	Northampton Saints 27–12 Llanelli Scarlets
2012–13	Pool 3	3rd	4	2	0	2	0	8

Honours

• Celtic League: 2003–04

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 Iestyn Thomas were recognised for having made 50 appearances in the competition.

See also

• Llanelli RFC
• Scarlet FM

External links

• Scarlets official site (English) (Welsh)
• Scarlets on WRU.co.uk
• Scarlets on BBC.co.uk
• Scarlets Forum