Scarlets send a shock SOS for Phillips

MIKE Phillips is set to make a shock comeback to play professional rugby after answering an injury SOS from the Scarlets.

The former Wales and British Lions scrum-half, who retired from rugby at the end of last season, is in line to feature on the bench for the west Wales region in their Guinness PRO14 matches against Southern Kings and Cheetahs over the coming two weekends.

The Scarlets currently have Gareth and Aled Davies with Warren Gatland’s Wales squad, while their fourth-choice No.9 Declan Smith picked up an ankle injury in the Anglo-Welsh Cup clash against Exeter Chiefs and has undergone surgery.

That has left head coach Wayne Pivac with just one available scrum-half, Jonathan Evans, for the double header in South Africa.

The Scarlets did look at nines within the region and put in requests to English Championship clubs. However, they weren’t able to get release from those clubs and, with semi-professional players being unable to get time off work to travel at short notice, Pivac put in a call to Phillips.

The 35-year-old is currently living in Dubai and will travel to South Africa to meet up with the 27-manScarlets squad on their arrival tomorrow ahead of the clash against the Kings in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.

Phillips, who played 94 Tests for Wales and five for the Lions, announced he was hanging up his boots at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, bringing the curtain down on an illustrious career.

He had retired from international rugby as Wales’ mostcapped scrum-half in 2015 and carried on playing for Racing 92 in the French Top 14 and then Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership.

Meanwhile, Scarlets coaches Stephen Jones and Byron Hayward have signed new deals with the region.