Scarlets fans gather to rally against WRU proposals

Scarlets fans marched on Saturday to show their "strength of feeling" for the team

Hundreds of people have marched in Llanelli to show their support for the Scarlets ahead of their opening game of the season.

It comes as the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has proposed halving the number of professional regions from four to two.

It says the changes are necessary to improve the state of the domestic game in Wales, but the proposals have not proved popular.

Supporters opposed to the change attended a "save our Scarlets" march from Llanelli town centre to Parc y Scarlets prior to the match on Saturday.

Tomos Davies organised a five kilometre (3.1 mile) march for the Scarlets

Tomos Davies said he helped to organise the event to show the WRU the "strength of feeling in the Scarlets family and community in Llanelli".

"It's frightfully important for the fans that they have a team to follow," he said.

"It's the sense of identity, the sense of belonging."

He said he recognises a change is needed in Welsh rugby, but two regions is not the right solution in his view.

"I think [fans] have been left out of the consultation and raw data only tells you so much."

Losing the Scarlets would be a "disaster" for the fans and the community, he said, akin to "losing a member of the family".

Fans began the march from the former Stradey Park pitch.

Fronting up - on and off the field

The proposed restructure has not proven popular with fans and players from all four regions.

The Ospreys have been told their star player – Jac Morgan – will leave club rugby in Wales if his region ceases to exist

In the capital, Cardiff find themselves shrouded in uncertainty as they start their campaign without a permanent head coach.

Meanwhile the Dragons have made their opposition clear. They said the plans are unacceptable stating "Welsh rugby deserves better".

But all four sides are united in their positions – fronting up on the field is the focus.

The WRU said around seven thousand people gave their views on the proposed re structure.

A final decision is expected in October.

Helen Thomas says the Scarlets are a community.

For some fans, their home region offers more than just weekly rugby matches.

Daniel Inkin, from Lougher, has been supporting the Scarlets since his grandfather started taking him to Stradey Park.

He said it would be "such a shame" if they were to lose their region.

The Welsh language and culture – Scarlets bring a lot of that into our identity and for West Wales it means a lot to people.

I think a change needs to happen but its how that change happens – who knows what will happen."

Helen Thomas, from Furnace in Llanelli, said the team has created a new community for people, and not only from surrounding areas.