The Scarlets Boost Their Pack with Shrewd Recruitment Moves
Scarlets’ managing director Simon Muderack has expressed optimism about the team’s prospects, citing the recruitment of Leigh Jones as performance director and the reinforcement of their pack as key factors.
“We’ve made some tweaks to the coaching team. Leigh Jones has come in to provide a bit of support to the overall coaching group with a lot of heritage and a lot of passion, when we’ve also made quite a bit of shrewd recruitment over the past 12 months,” Muderack said.
The west Wales region has bolstered their pack with several new signings, including:
- Wales’ World Cup tight-head prop Henry Thomas from Castres
- Scotland prop Alec Hepburn from Exeter Chiefs
- South African hooker Marnus van der Merwe, who was initially included in Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad for the 2024 Rugby Championship, from the Cheetahs
- Fellow South African Jarrod Taylor from the Stormers
- Australian lock Max Douglas from the Yokohama Canon Eagles
Scarlets have also recruited two Welsh-qualified backs, signing:
- Full-back Ellis Mee from Nottingham
- Utility back Blair Murray from New Zealand’s Canterbury
Muderack emphasized that while the team has bid farewell to a generation of talent, this presents an opportunity for a new group to create their own history and leave their mark on the club.
“We’ve really bolstered our pack up front and then we’ve got some really good, exciting youngsters coming through, which then get a bit of dynamism all over the park for us,” Muderack added.
Scarlets have also retained the services of several key players, including Johnny Williams, Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Tom Rogers, Harri O’Connor, Ben Williams, Dan Davis, and Vaea Fifita.
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