The cream of Scarlets schoolboy talent have taken part in a two-day training and educational camp in Carmarthen.
As part of Welsh rugby’s new Emerging Player Pathway programme for the under-15 and under-16 age groups, the Scarlets have set up five regional development centres in Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen, Mynydd Mawr & Dinefwr and Llanelli.
Last week, 140 youngsters took part in a residential camp in Carmarthen, where they trained, played and developed their knowledge of the game under the guidance of Scarlets Academy staff, WRU regional officers, WRU hub officers and volunteer coaches.
Dwayne Peel’s senior squad also paid a visit following their own training camp in Aberystwyth and had pictures and chatted to the youngsters about their rugby journeys.
“We had a fantastic couple of days,” said Paul Fisher, Scarlets Academy skills coach.
“This year is the start of the new EPP programme, recently launched by the WRU and the regions. The boys from the five centres stayed at University of Wales Trinity Saint David where they did fitness testing, gym seasons, educational blocks, fundamental skill delivery with the Scarlets Academy staff and also had some games and unit rugby sessions.
“It was also brilliant to have the Scarlets senior squad here as well on the second day. All 140 players were part of a photo with the Scarlets boys who came down to watch them playing, which is a huge inspiration for our next generation of Scarlets.
“We’d like to thank the staff of University of Wales Trinity Saint David and everyone involved in helping put this together.”
A large chunk of the current Scarlets senior and Academy squad have emerged from the five schoolboy district teams who play in the historic Dewar Shield competition.
They include Joe Roberts Samson Lee, Steff Evans, Shaun Evans and Luca Giannini (Llanelli), Jonathan Davies, Ken Owens, Ryan Elias, Dan Jones, Jac Price, Eddie James and Lewis Morgan (Carmarthen), Gareth Davies, Steff Thomas and Scott Williams (Ceredigion), Josh Macleod, Ryan Conbeer, Kemsley Mathias and Archie Hughes (Pembrokeshire), Kieran Hardy, Wyn Jones, Tom Rogers, Dan Davis, Ioan Nicholas and Tomi Lewis (Mynydd Mawr & Dinefwr), as well as senior coaches Dwayne Peel, Gareth Williams and Emyr Phillips and Academy coaches Paul Fisher, Tom Phillips and Phil John.