Glenn Delaney believes Scarlets and Wales prop Wyn Jones is the best in the business at the moment. The Kiwi coach has been involved with Jones at regional level since the start of the 2019/20 season, when Delaney joined as defence coach. Since then Jones has become a Wales regular at loose-head and has been gaining rave reviews for his performances in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations.

Carwyn Tuipulotu has committed his future to the Scarlets by signing a four-year deal and his first professional contract. The 19-year-old back-row, one of Welsh rugby’s bright young prospects, has made a big impression at Parc y Scarlets this season and came off the bench for his Guinness PRO14 debut against Leinster last month. The son of Tongan international Kati, Tuipulotu was educated at Sedbergh School in Cumbria before linking up with the Scarlets Academy from Newcastle Falcons two seasons ago.

Former Scarlets conditioning coach Aled Waters has revealed that getting out of Wales has opened his eyes to how players should prepare for top level rugby. Walters left his home region in 2009 and has since travelled the world, establishing himself as one of the most well-respected strength and conditioning coaches on the planet. Having spent time at Taranaki, the Brumbies and with Munster before helping South Africa lift the 2019 Rugby World Cup, he now finds himself with Leicester Tigers.

WillGriff John says family reasons and a desire to be playing a vibrant band of rugby led him to sign for the Scarlets for next season from Sale. The prop – who came close to his first cap last season before the lockdown stalled his ambitions – would have been outside the eligibility category for the next campaign had he remained in England. But the tight-head has decided against renewing his contract at Sale in preference of a move to Parc y Scarlets.

Glenn Delaney has told his Scarlets team that conceding 50 points at home is “dreadful” and there has to be an immediate response. The New Zealander is facing up to his first crisis in his time in charge at the region after a third successive defeat was inflicted by Leinster who walloped the Welsh region, 52-25. Admittedly, the Scarlets were without 12 of their 1st XV but Leinster arrived without 17 Irish squad members and still put half a century of points on the home side.

The Scarlets bid to recover from back-to-back defeats against Cardiff Blues on Saturday night when they host Guinness Pro 14 champions Leinster. But there will be more than just points at stake as two opposing props – one on the way up and one on the way back – have something to prove, as Graham Thomas reports. It will be a tale of two tight-heads when the Scarlets host Leinster on Saturday night with all eyes on Javan Sebastian and Tadhg Furlong. In the red corner will be Sebastian, who has played in every Guinness Pro 14 match for the region so far this season and was this week rewarded with a new contract.

Prop Javan Sebastian has signed a new contract with the Scarlets. The 26-year-old tight-head has featured in every Guinness PRO14 match this season and also came off the bench to make his mark in the Heineken Champions Cup victory over Bath in December. Having come through the Scarlets academy system, Sebastian was capped by Wales at U18s level and has played for Carmarthen Quins in the Welsh Premiership.

Dai Young believes Cardiff Blues are heading forwards after they secured back-to-back Guinness Pro 14 victories over the Scarlets with a 13-10 victory in Llanelli. The Blues won against their regional rivals for the second time inside a fortnight to give Young victory in his first match in charge since returning to the Arms Park. Once again, the Scarlets had most of the possession and territory but the Blues’ defence proved too strong for them to break down.

The Scarlets host Cardiff Blues on Friday night in a repeat of their showdown of a fortnight ago. That game ended with victory for the Blues and proved a spicy one with Liam Williams receiving a red card. The Blues’ former Scarlet Josh Turnbull reckons part two could be just as eventful, as he told Graham Thomas. Josh Turnbull admits there will be hunger on both sides when the Scarlets host Cardiff Blues on Friday night – but insists no-one will be looking to take a bite out of sidelined Liam Williams. The two regions sit down for second helpings just two weeks after tucking into each in a bruising, pulsating battle at the Cardiff City Stadium where Wales full-back Williams was sent off, before the Blues claimed a 29-20 victory.

Glenn Delaney believes his 14-man Scarlets side have learnt well from their defeat to the Cardiff Blues earlier in the month – and can now extract their revenge. The regions met at the start of January at the Cardiff City Stadium, with the capital region running out 29-20 winners. The big talking point was Liam Williams’ red card in the first half after a head-on-head clash with his Wales teammate, the Blues’ Shane Lewis-Hughes.

Mark Jones has moved a lot closer to home and insists one day he wants to return to Welsh rugby. The new assistant coach at Worcester Warriors had been working in New Zealand with the all-conquering Crusaders, but even the best non-Test team in the world had to give way to coronavirus. Having made it back from Canterbury in December for a Christmas break, the pandemic and its effect on flights and transglobal workers meant the Jones family were unable to resume their new life in the southern hemisphere.

In 2014, Will Taylor started for Wasps in front of 82,000 people against Harlequins at Twickenham.  Three years later he was selling vegetables on the streets of London and collecting empty glasses in his friend’s nightclub. They say life’s a rollercoaster but the 29-year-old from Swansea wouldn’t have expected there to be quite as many sharp turns.