Scarlets playing waiting game with Moriarty

SCARLETS insist the ball is in Ross Moriarty’s court as they hope to make the Wales and British & Irish Lions back-row forward a marquee signing.

Llanelli bosses are looking to put together ‘their strongest squad for years’ in a bid to help last season’s Guinness PRO12 champions regularly reach the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup.

Head coach Wayne Pivac wants Moriarty to lead the way, but faces competition from the Dragons and a host of big-spending English and French clubs for the Gloucester man’s signature.

“We’ve made no secret of the fact we admire Ross’ ability as a player,” said Scarlets general manager of rugby Jonathan Daniels.

“Knowing him on the field and a bit about him off the field, I think he would be the right fit to come here and help us with our ambitions to be champions of the PRO14 and regularly appearing in the last eight of Europe.

“But Ross, like any other player, has to make his decision over where he thinks the next chapter of his rugby career will take him. We’d like it to be here. We want to regularly be in the Champions Cup knock-out stages and I think it’s an achievable goal.”

Wales stars Jonathan Davies, Gareth Davies, Scott Williams and Jake Ball are among the Scarlets who are out of contract at the end of the season

Daniels is confident Pivac’s best players will not only commit their future, but says the Kiwi head coach will be able to make new signings and have a stronger squad at his disposal next season.

“I’m confident most of the squad will stay,” said Daniels. “Although we’ve been quiet in terms of announcements, we haven’t got to November without having a lot of those players nailed down.

“It’s hard to put a number on the amount of new signings we’ll make because it’s a moving beast.

“That could mean three, four or five players coming in – but what we can say is our squad for next year will be the strongest squad we’ve had for years.”