Glawio Rugby

Scarlets Depth Ranking & Preview – URC 2026-27

Last season was one of the Scarlets’ worst in their history; only 4 wins and only barely managing to get ahead of Cardiff for their only win of the Welsh derbies, following a generally impressive previous year where they managed to make playoffs and build some genuine optimism of where their young squad can go. For this season, they’ve recruited heavily, with 10 new signings; more than any of the Welsh regions, as they look to recapture their fast-flowing attack and powerful setpiece that earned them an 8th place finish in 2024-45.

While their overall discipline remains a concern, playoffs wouldn’t be an unrealistic goal for the Scarlets, given the quality of their players that have earned several of them Wales call-ups; they’re only slightly behind Cardiff in the number of current internationals they have. However, the existential threat placed on them by the WRU will be considerable baggage, so if they are to push for a higher placement than last season, they’ll need to fix their problems quickly to build up the momentum and morale.

Loosehead Prop: Kemsley Mathias, Corey Domachowski, Josh Morse, Sam O’Conner

Alec Hepburn’s departure to Edinburgh has been compensated by the signing of Corey Domachowski, who should prove a more stable force in the scrum than Mathias. This gives the region two Wales internationals with different skillsets, while Josh Morse was a real breakthrough last season. Not bad, but a lot of their penalties come from here. 7.5/10

Hooker: Ryan Elias, John McKee, Harry Thomas, George Roberts

While Elias is one of Wales’ best in this position, there isn’t a lot of experience backing him up, and certainly not enough to compensate for the loss of Marnus van der Merwe. Harry Thomas looks solid for his age, but with Elias being in the Wales setup, someone will need to step up to claim that 16 jersey. John McKee could be one to watch, though. 6/10

Tighthead Prop: Henry Thomas, Archer Holz, Harri O’Conner, Gabe Hawley, Jac Pritchard

Thomas started well, but Holz has kind of usurped him in the 3 jersey. That kind of competition is useful, while Hawley and Pritchard have each been tipped for a breakthrough, but the Scarlets’ tightheads tended to blow hot and cold last season. When they click, however, the scrum can be a real strength. 7.5/10

Locks: Sam Lousi, Will Evans, Jac Price, Harvey Cuckson, Alex Groves, Tom Allen

4/6 of these names have just been signed, so take your pick as to who starts alongside Lousi. Will Evans looks a real prospect, with his powerful carrying being a real standout in Wales, while Tom Allen should be helpful when he joins after the NPC. Still, despite the numbers, there is very little here in terms of high-end experience, so there’s no telling how well this second-row will click together. 6/10

Back Row: Taine Plumtree, Josh Macleod, Fletcher Anderson, Cullen Grace, Dan Davis, Tristan Davies, Dom Kossuth

Discipline aside, Plumtree and Macleod are very good at their job, but Anderson was the real star of last season, giving the Scarlets a very effective gainline carrier to balance out their backrow. He’ll be aided by Cullen Grace, who’s injury problems have kept him out of the All Blacks picture but should fit nicely into this setup. They’ve got good backup, though injuries and Plumtree and Macleod’s relevant status in the international system may hold them back. 8/10

Scrum-Half: Gareth Davies, Dane Blacker, Archie Hughes

Despite retiring from international rugby, Gareth Davies remains one of the URC’s most capable scrum-halves. Initially, the Scarlets struggled in his absence, but Blacker and Hughes came a long way and were able to steady the Scarlets system. With all three of them, the Scarlets’ ruck speed is well equipped to utilise their many ball-in-hand threats. 8.5/10

Fly-Half: Sam Costelow, Gareth Anscombe, Carwyn Leggatt-Jones, Elis Price

Costelow needed support here; Joe Hawkins was signed to act as a second-choice fly-half, but he fell short on the game-management front that the West Walians desperately needed. Gareth Anscombe, however, gives them a very experienced option who should be more than comfortable keeping their attack moving, while Carwyn Leggatt-Jones made the most of his first season, and should get even better with Anscombe’s guidance. 9/10

Centres: Joe Hawkins, Eddie James, Johnny Williams, Joe Roberts, Macs Page, Ioan Nicholas

Great depth; compared to the other Welsh regions, the Scarlets have plenty of options even with James and Hawkins on Wales duty. While Johnny Williams fell off considerably from the previous year, Roberts and Page continued to show their value on attack, and it’s rare that a region has 5 players all equally capable of starting a high-intensity game without looking out of place. 8.5/10

Wing: Ellis Mee, Callum Wooley, Jac Davies, Iori Badham

With Tom Rogers leaving and a general lack of distinction between wings and fullbacks, I’ve had to guess who’s playing where. Ellis Mee will definitely be on one wing when not on international duty, while Macs Page and Joe Roberts can also cover here. Woolley is one to watch, though, as he’s being hyped up as such, though the lack of experience might hurt them. 8/10

Fullback: Blair Murray, Ioan Jones, Isaac Murray-Macgregor

Looks good, with Blair Murray remaining one of the URCs most exciting attackers and Ioan Jones covering him well. Murray-Macgregor should be one to watch, especially as Wales are short on out-and-out fullbacks. As with a lot of the Scarlets’ positions, this is a young group with a lot of potential, but not one with a particularly wide portfolio. 7/10

Overall: 76

There’s definitely potential here, but with some early-season injuries, the real question is how well the Scarlets’ new signings integrate themselves into their attack system. With plenty of instability off the field, it wouldn’t be their fault if the season gets off to a slow start, but at their best, the Scarlets can be a tough team to deal with given their ability to create and exploit chaos. 

Strongest Team: Domachowski, Elias, Holz, Evans, Lousi, Plumtree, Macleod, Anderson, Davies, Costelow, Mee, Hawkins, James, Page, Murray

McKee, Mathias, Thomas, Allen, Grace, Blacker, Anscombe, Roberts