Llanelli Scarlets: Encyclopedia II - Llanelli Scarlets - Club History

Llanelli Scarlets - Club History

Llanelli Scarlets are one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era. They are also one of only two of those regions who were not brought about by amalgamation of two or more clubs.

In 2003, the WRU controversially elected to reduce the current top tier of Welsh professional rugby from nine clubs into five clubs, attempting to mirror the successful formats in Ireland and the Southern Hemisphere countries of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Llanelli 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 'region' is held by the owners of Llanelli Rugby Football Club.

Largely drawn from the very successful Llanelli RFC side of the preceding year, the Scarlets have carried that success forth into their inaugural season. They reached the last eight of the 2003/2004 Heineken European Rugby Cup and finished the Celtic League season as champions by four points over Ulster. However the following season was less successful. Hit by injuries and retirements, as well as the transfer of influential fly-half Stephen Jones, the Scarlets finished only fifth in the league and failed to qualify from their group in the Heineken Cup. In the current 2005/06 season, the Scarlets again failed to qualify from their Heineken Cup group; as of 22 January 2006, they are in fifth place in the Celtic League, but with two games in hand on all of the teams ahead of them. They have also managed to resign Stephen Jones and full back Barry Davies has extended his contract to stay with the Scarlets.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Club History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki