Scarlets Rugby

The Scarlets Rugby side was formed in 2003 when the structure of Welsh Rugby changed. Although many professional sides were forced to merge with each other as part of the new plans, Llanelli RFC were opposed to all plans that caused them to merge. As a result, they retained standalone status.

Over time, the influence of Scarlets has diminished off the pitch. Although they still nominally represent all of West and North Wales, the Scarlets consider their region to represent the three counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. As a result, the team no longer plays games in North Wales.

On the pitch, the Scarlets Rugby side were immediately successful. In the side’s inaugural season, they reached the last eight of the Heineken Champions Cup and won the Celtic League (now the PRO14). However, following a number of injuries and retirements at the end of the season, the fortunes of the Scarlets Rugby team changed. For several years, they struggled in the PRO14 and they failed to qualify from their group in the Heineken Champions Cup. The club also suffered from financial pressures and almost went out of business in 2006.

However, after securing funding and moving to a new stadium, the fortunes of the team changed. In 2013, they reached the semi-final stage of the PRO14 and they finally won the tournament for the second time in 2017. The year after, they reached the final once again, but they were beaten 40-32 by Leinster.

Throughout the history of the Scarlets Rugby club, the side have primarily played in the Heineken Champions Cup. However, although the team have regularly reached the knockout stages of the competition, they've never gone beyond the semi-final stage.