Wales pair among 15 to leave Scarlets

WALES pair Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Patchell are among 15 players who will leave the Scarlets at the end of the season.

With playing budgets going down in Wales next season, all four regions are having to cut their cloth accordingly which means cutting the size of their squads.

Metronomic goal kicker Halfpenny joined the west Walians from Toulon six years ago and has scored 526 points in 58 games while talented outsidehalf Patchell was a key component of the side which won the PRO12 title in 2017.

Patchell has suffered a series of injuries over the past few seasons which have limited the number of games he has been able to play for the Scarlets. In his absence, Sam Costelow has made the No. 10 jersey his own while the prodigiously talented Ioan Lloyd will join from Bristol Bears next season.

While the Scarlets will miss the experience of Halfpenny, they do have Wales international Johnny McNicholl under contract for next season while Tom Rogers is highly rated.

The Scarlets will also lose influential No. 8 Sione Kalamafoni to French Pro D2 outfit Vannes, while Scotland international prop Javan Sebastian is joining Edinburgh.

Arguably the biggest blow is the retirement of the 27-cap Wales blindside Aaron Shingler, who has given 15 years of service to the club.

Scrum-half Dane Blacker will also leave to join the Dragons although the Scarlets.

Wider squad members

Lewis Rawlins, Taylor Davies, Dafydd Hughes, Corey Baldwin, WillGriff John, Iestyn Rees, Tom Price and Alex Jeffries are also leaving.

This comes on the back of the retirements of Scotland international Blade Thomson and second-row Josh Helps earlier on in the season, while Argentinian loose-forward Tomas Lezana was recently released from his contract to sign for French club Montauban.

“It is always tough to make this announcement, all the players have given so much to the jersey during their time here,” said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.

“Players like Shings, Leigh and Patch have played massive parts in Scarlets successes in the league and in Europe over the years; Lewis Rawlins is a club centurion, while Phil Price, Tom Price, Dane and Sione have played more than a half century of matches.”