Can Scarlets Capture this year’s United Rugby Championship title?

Now the 2023 Rugby World Cup is firmly underway, the sport has begun to capture the attention of fans around the globe.

However, while many rugby fans are focused on what’s currently happening on the international stage, others are waiting for the start of this year’s United Rugby Championship campaign, which begins on 21^st October 2023.

With the season now only a month away, lots of local fans are now wondering whether Scarlets can capture their first title since 2017. Let’s take a detailed look at their chances…

History and Pedigree in the Competition

Scarlets have won the United Rugby Championship title twice. However, both of these victories came in previous iterations of the competition.

They captured the Celtic League title back in 2003/04 and then won the Pro12 title in 2016/17. They also finished as runners-up at the conclusion of the 2017/18 Pro14 campaign. Sadly though, since then, they’ve failed to make much of an impact.

Squad Selection and Player Availability

Despite not really mounting a serious challenge for the title in the past couple of seasons, hopes in the fan base are high. Much of this hope and optimism is fuelled by the current strength of the squad, which features several household names.

However, how much Scarlets will be able to depend on their star players remains uncertain. After all, the squad currently contains six players who are away at the Rugby World Cup:

• Sam Costelow (Wales)
• Gareth Davies (Wales)
• Ryan Elias (Wales)
• Johnny Williams (Wales)
• Vaea Fifita (Tonga)
• Sam Lousi (Tonga)

Of course, the vast majority of Scarlets fans will be hoping that Wales reach the latter stages of the Rugby World Cup. However, if they do, these Welsh players will likely miss several rounds of United Rugby Championship action. After all, the first round of fixtures is scheduled for October 21^st, and the Rugby World Cup final doesn’t take place until October 28^th.

Added to this, it’s also worth noting that the United Rugby Championship will continue when Wales play their Six Nations fixtures next season. As a result, the four players above will likely also miss a lot more key fixtures for Scarlets during this period. They may also lose other members of the squad who have been capped at international level previously but have not travelled to the World Cup, such as prop Wyn Jones.

Current Form

When it comes to analysing the current form, it’s hard to make much of a case for Scarlets winning the title this season. After all, since the competition was rebranded as the United Rugby Championship in 2021, they’ve failed to get close to claiming the trophy. They finished 10^th in 2021/22 and a disappointing 14^th in 2022/23. That said, they did reach the semi-final of the European Rugby Challenge Cup in 2023, where they were defeated by the Glasgow Warriors.

Scarlets’ form in the last couple of campaigns has been worsened by a dispute between the Welsh Rugby Union and the regions. However, with the dispute now resolved, Scarlets and the other Welsh sides will be hoping they can put a couple of difficult years behind them and press on towards the top half of the table.

Conclusion: is this the Year for Scarlets?

There’s a lot to like about Scarlets this year. Not only has the region ended its dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union, but the squad is also packed with talent. Plus, it contains immensely skilled pros like Wyn Jones who will start the season with a point to prove.

But, can the team win the United Rugby Championship? On current form, it seems unlikely. After all, their last two seasons have been poor, and many of their stars will miss the start of the season at the World Cup and will then miss a huge chunk of time during the Six Nations. As a result, claiming the Welsh Shied (they finished third out of four teams last season) would likely represent a successful season.