The Scarlets have issued a statement to their supporters attempting to clarify their position on Llanelli RFC
Last season, Llanelli withdrew from the Indigo Premiership, citing a lack of playing resources rendering them unable to fulfil fixtures. The famous team, which is synonymous with Welsh rugby, pulled out of the league last term but signalled their intent to play a part in the new Elite Development Competition (EDC) which starts this September.
The WRU announced nine of the 10 teams which will take part in said new league this autumn, with one final space up for grabs, but Llanelli were not included as one of the nine. You can read more about that here.
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Last year Llanelli, who voted in a board meeting to withdraw from the league, claimed the number of games, the significant pressure of providing players for the Scarlets and "once in a generation cost pressures" all to be factors in the decision.
There was still that carrot dangling of the storied club to be involved in the EDC this year, though. But in light of the WRU's announcement, the Scarlets have been forced into issuing a statement addressing the matter.
The west Wales outfit have confirmed they will be unable to fund or provide playing resources to a Llanelli team in the EDC due to the "the ongoing financial challenges associated with professional rugby".
They stop short of saying what the plan for Llanelli RFC actually is going forward, but allude to the fact the Scarlets embody the heritage of Llanelli, stating it is "the same Scarlets team that brought us the likes of Albert Jenkins, Lewis Jones, Delme Thomas, Phil Bennett, Ray Gravell, Scott Quinnell, Stephen Jones, our current president Derek Quinnell and head coach Dwayne Peel".
Peel even spoke at a recently meeting with members of the supporters' club, Crys 16, about the heritage of Llanelli and its historic synergy with the Scarlets.
The Scarlets also added they fully supported Carmarthen Quins and Llandovery's applications to compete in the EDC, which have been successful, and have reached an agreement with both of those clubs to continue to work closely with them moving forward.
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“Rugby is experiencing challenging financial times and it is sad to see what has happened to some proud professional clubs in England," president Derek Quinnell said. "We too have had to make tough decisions about our future and one of those has been Llanelli RFC, who since 2003, have been one of our three development teams within our region.
“I am a proud former Scarlets player who was fortunate to wear the jersey on 369 occasions and have some incredible memories of my playing days at Stradey Park. The team that those fans supported so passionately on the Tanner Banc is the one wearing Scarlet today in the URC and in Europe.
“In the current climate, we know it is more important than ever for us to be bringing through our own home-grown talent and Scarlets staff will be working closely with Llandovery and Carmarthen Quins to ensure our young players have the route to professional rugby that they need.
“Over the last couple of years, we have seen exciting local talent like Joe Roberts, Eddie James, Tom Rogers, Archie Hughes, Jac Price and others take their opportunities and I am sure we are going to see many more follow a similar path over the coming seasons.”
