‘I was getting emails about the Scarlets job
THE Scarlets say the wheels are already in motion to find a replacement to fill the shoes of Wayne Pivac when he leaves Llanelli to become Wales’ national coach next year.
Pivac was yesterday appointed the long-term successor to Warren Gatland, who steps down from his role after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The New Zealander’s fouryear success story at Parc y Scarlets shone brightly on his CV, persuading those in the corridors of power at the Welsh Rugby Union to give the former police officer the job.
But it leaves a significant void 50-odd miles west down the M4.
The big question remains whether Pivac will now bring his right-hand man Stephen Jones with him into the national camp.
If he does, it is a double whammy for last season’s Champions Cup semi-finalists.
If he doesn’t, the search won’t need to stretch far.
At the press conference to announce his appointment at the Principality Stadium, Pivac said Jones “would be discussed” in terms of his back-room team, but the WRU and the Scarlets are not saying anything else.
In terms of alternatives, the ‘process’ has already started at Parc y Scarlets.
As they have so often done, the West Walians could recruit one of their own with former scrum-half Dwayne Peel – Ulster’s current attack coach – a name who may come into the frame. There will be other familiar Welsh candidates – what odds on a return for Phil Davies?
But whoever they speak to, the region’s bosses are confident that a side which boasts the bulk of the national team and who have dazzled with a free-flowing brand of attacking rugby, will attract high-profile interest, both home and abroad.
In an interview with WalesOnline, just a few minutes after Pivac’s unveiling, Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels, the man who will be tasked with finding Pivac’s successor, outlined what will happen next.
“As soon as the speculation started that there would be an announcement today, I was getting emails about the job,” he said.
“We have had a relative