PHILLIPS MAKES CAREER SWITCH
TOM Phillips, the last man to lead Wales to an U20 Six Nations Grand Slam, is stepping back from professional rugby at the age of just 26.
The back-row forward, who saw last season wiped out on a personal level by injury, is moving into coaching with the Scarlets academy.
Phillips has been handed a role as development skills coach.
He will also continue as a player as captain of the Llanelli RFC semi-professional side.
“It is fantastic to have someone of Tom’s calibre to help guide the next generation of Scarlets,” said development pathway manager Kevin George.
“Tom was an exemplary professional as a player and always set high standards.
“He has all the qualities to make an excellent coach and we look forward to him coming on board with the academy.”
Phillips was released as a player by the Scarlets in 2021 after a significant hip injury was followed by Covid, denying him the chance to remind all of his worth as his contract headed for its expiry date.
But he returned to answer an SOS amid injuries in pre-season and performed so well that the region pushed a new contract his way.
Disaster struck, though, during his first outing of the United Rugby Championship campaign when he sustained major knee damage against Edinburgh, ruling him out for the rest of the 2021-22 season.
He had looked a formidable prospect when skippering a stylish Wales team to their U20 Six Nations clean sweep in 2016.
Others may have taken the headlines in that campaign, but with his leadership and hard-driving play from blindside, Phillips’s contribution was invaluable.
To many eyes he looked a senior international in the making.
He will join an academy set-up at the Scarlets led by George which also includes fellow coaches Paul Fisher, Phil John and Rhodri Jones. A new transition and academy head coach is also to be appointed.
Phillips has coaching experience with the Scarlets’ age-grade sides and Admiral National League club Kidwelly. He came through the region’s academy himself, joining as a 16-year-old, and went on to captain the Scarlets at all age-grade levels as well as Wales at U18s and U20s.
He said: “Coaching is something I have looked at doing and I am delighted to be able to be part of an academy which has a proud history of producing players for the professional and international game.
“I came through the same pathway here so I understand what it takes to make it into the senior team and hopefully I can pass on that knowledge and experience to the boys here.
“It was disappointing last season that a serious knee injury meant I wasn’t able to continue my playing career at the Scarlets, but I am looking forward to the challenge of captaining Llanelli.
“There is a huge amount of young talent in the town and region and a real desire here to improve the fortunes of Llanelli over the coming years.”