The Scarlets have urged European rugby bosses to re-think their strategy of punishing teams with automatic defeats when they struggle to fulfil fixtures. Officials at European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) are coming under pressure to reassess their policy on forfeiting games with Covid-19 set to cause chaos to the first round of Champions Cup fixtures. Currently, any side which pulls out of a game due to the virus automatically loses the fixture 28-0 with the justification being there is no room in the calendar for rearranged matches.

The Dragons’ campaign in Europe this season will be shown live on S4C. The Welsh broadcaster has struck a deal to show live European rugby matches from both the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup this season, including matches involving both Cardiff and the Scarlets. In all, they will screen two matches from the Champions Cup group stages, in addition to all four of the Dragons’ matches from the Challenge Cup.

European rugby bosses are coming under increasing pressure to shift from their hardline stance over fulfilling scheduled fixtures in this season’s tournaments. Much arm-twisting is going on behind the scenes following the chaotic preparations for the Heineken Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup being experienced by Cardiff, the Scarlets, Munster and Zebre. Most of Cardiff’s stranded group in South Africa are hoping to fly back to the UK on Thursday, where they will undergo 10 days of quarantine in a hotel near Heathrow.

Cardiff and the Scarlets are facing a massive joint hotel bill of £250,000 as well as major disruption to their European campaigns if they are forced to self-isolate in hotel quarantine for 10 days following their troubled trip to South Africa. The Scarlets have made it back as far as Belfast – via Durban, Cape Town and Dublin – but their whole party is now in a UK government-approved isolation hotel as they await further news. Cardiff, however, are still in South Africa, with two of their group having tested positive for Covid-19 at the weekend, with one of those cases suspected to be the Omicron variant that sparked travel restrictions on flights from South Africa to the UK.

Gemma Grainger praised her team for their professionalism in overcoming awful conditions to hammer Greece 5-0 and keep their World Cup qualification dream on track. The Wales manager was full of admiration for the way her players stuck to their task at Parc y Scarlets where a howling gale, rain, hail and snow failed to deflect them. Two goals for the impressive Ceri Holland and others for skipper Sophie Ingle, Kayleigh Green and Natasha Harding demonstrated Wales’ superiority and put them in good heart ahead of their clash with Group I leaders France on Tuesday.

Cardiff and the Scarlets are trying to return to Wales from South Africa after the country was added to the UK Government’s travel red list. The Scarlets were set to face the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, with Cardiff also due to feature in the United Rugby Championship against the Lions in Johannesburg on Sunday. Irish province Munster and Italian club Zebre Parma are also in South Africa ahead of fixtures against the Bulls and Stormers respectively, and all four sides are due to play a second round of matches in the country next weekend.

Scarlets defence coach Hugh Hogan made the move to West Wales from Leinster this summer after winning four consecutive Pro 14 titles and a Heineken Cup. But he is now looking to get one over his old team when they clash in Dublin on Saturday, as Tom Prosser reports. Hugh Hogan admits it was difficult to leave Leinster but says the opportunity to work with Scarlets legend Dwayne Peel was too good to turn down as he aims to emulate his success with Leinster here in Wales. “When the opportunity came up to speak to Dwayne about the job at the Scarlets, there were a lot of things that made sense,” explains defence coach Hogan, who spent eight and a half years in various coaching roles at Leinster.

Not everyone wants to follow their father into the family trade. But Ireland’s 27-times capped Rhys Ruddock – a former Wales U18 international – is curious to find out whether the coaching business suits him. He’ll be playing for Leinster against the Scarlets on Saturday night, then thinking about his next coaching session, as he tells Graham Thomas. Rhys Ruddock has taken his first tentative steps into coaching, with a certain Grand Slam-winner on speed dial for when he’s in need of advice. The Leinster and Ireland forward is contemplating a future after his playing days and whether or not he fancies becoming a chip off the old block – in this case his father, Mike.

By Rob Carbon Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel has told his players not to dwell on their six-try, 43-13 defeat to Munster, but focus on putting things right ahead of Friday night’s trip to face reigning champions Leinster in the United Rugby Championship. A Munster side showing 11 changes to the team that had comprehensively […]

By David Williams Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is looking forward to the challenge of taking on a new opponent when his team face the Emirates Lions on Friday night. South African outfit Lions are the first of the four United Rugby Championship sides from the Rainbow Nation to arrive in Wales this season. They […]

By Rob Carbon Scott Williams is hopeful of putting three years of injury hell behind him by firing the Scarlets to success this season.  The 30-year-old has been capped 58 times by Wales and prior to injury, he was considered one of the best centres in European rugby.  His move to the Ospreys in 2018 was plagued by injuries, but now he’s back at the Scarlets and keen to prove he still has what it takes to perform at the highest level. 

Scott Williams has been tipped to recapture the form which originally made him a star on the international stage now he has rejoined the Scarlets. The 58-times capped Wales centre left the Scarlets three years ago to join the Ospreys, but his time at the Liberty Stadium was plagued by injuries. But he’s now returned home to Llanelli, and new Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is confident he can get the best out of the 30-year-old.