We are proud to announce that Scarlets great Derek Quinnell has been appointed the club’s new President.
Quinnell takes up the role that was previously held by his good friend and former team-mate Phil Bennett, who sadly passed away last year.
A powerful No. 8 and lock forward, Quinnell made 369 appearances for Llanelli between 1967 and 1982. He was a member of the side that famously beat the 1972 All Blacks at Stradey Park and captained the club for the 1979-80 season. His three sons, Scott, Craig and Gavin, all followed in his footsteps to wear the famous Scarlets jersey.
Capped 23 times by Wales he went on three British and Irish Lions tours, including New Zealand in 1971, where he was the only uncapped member of the squad,
Scarlets Executive Chairman Simon Muderack said: “Derek is a legend of the club and a hugely respected figure in the game. It is fitting, as a former team-mate, friend and in his role with the Phil Bennett Foundation, that he follows Phil as President of our club.
“There are still many challenges ahead of us all in Welsh rugby and the broader world of rugby, but we as a club continue to move forward with a strong and aligned board and set of backers and as we bring our 150th season to a close, we welcome Derek onto the board to strengthen our connections with our communities, heritage and purpose.”
Derek Quinnell said: “It was a privilege to first become President of Llanelli RFC 15 years ago following Grav and it is again a huge honour to take the reins from such a great player and man as Benny, who was Scarlets President for 11 years..
“The Scarlets are firmly part of a passionate community here in West Wales and having just celebrated 150 years since Llanelli RFC was first established we will continue to hold those core community and family values close.
“It has been a challenging period for Welsh rugby, on and off the field, but last season’s performances in the Challenge Cup provided some fantastic nights at Parc y Scarlets and it was wonderful to see the strength of passion for the club that we had from our supporters.
“With Dwayne building an exciting, young squad, hopefully we can see more occasions like that this season, starting with a fantastic curtain raiser against the Barbarians in September.”