Scarlets confirm Macleod as new skipper 

26-year-old Monaco-born Macleod replaces Jonathan Davies at the region having covered on a part-time basis last season whilst Davies remained on the sidelines through injury. 

A regular in head-coach Dwayne Peel’s XV, Macleod has made 112 appearances for the region since making his debut in 2015, helping the region reach the semi-finals of the European Challenge Cup last season. 

Macleod’s on-pitch impact was recognised by then Wales head-coach Wayne Pivac last November who handed the Pembrokeshire based player his first international cap at number eight against Georgia. 

After spending time on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, Macleod is now fit and relishing the challenge of leading the Scarlets for the new season in the upcoming United Rugby Championship. 

Whilst the West-Walians trip to Cape Town to face Vodacom Bulls this coming weekend may come too soon; Macleod feels he is not too far away from a return. 

“It is a huge honour for me as someone brought up in the region to captain a club with such a proud history and to follow in the footsteps of some great Scarlets like Foxy [Jon Davies] and Ken [Owens], who I have learned a huge amount from during my time here,” said Macleod. 

“I enjoyed the captaincy last season, particularly during our run in the Challenge Cup which highlighted how much young talent there is within this squad. There were also some standout performances at home in the URC. 

“It’s been a long, tough pre-season; the boys have worked hard as always and we’re looking forward to kicking off our campaign in South Africa against the Bulls and Stormers over the next fortnight. 

“For us, the challenge is to build on the foundations we laid last season, both in the URC and Europe. 

“From a personal point of view, it has been frustrating missing a chunk of the summer recovering from shoulder surgery, but I’m not far away and I can’t wait to get out there with the boys again.” 

After the announcement, Scarlets head-coach Peel was full of praise for his new skipper. 

“Josh is an exceptional player who leads by example, someone who commands respect and has been a big part of this squad for a number of years,” explained Peel. 

“He displayed his leadership qualities last season, and we were all impressed by how he carried out the role, on and off the field. 

“Jon [Davies] will continue to be a big part of our leadership team here, his experience in the game is invaluable and will be a huge help to Josh, as will our other senior players in the squad.” 

[Lead image: Scarlets Rugby]