Tavis Knoyle: Gloucester to sign Scarlets & Wales scrum-half

Wales international scrum-half Tavis Knoyle is leaving the Scarlets to join English Premiership side Gloucester, BBC Sport Wales understands.

The 22-year-old, capped nine times by Wales, has signed a two-year deal that will keep him at Kingsholm until the end of the 2014-15 season.

Knoyle was in Wales' 2013 Six Nations title-winning squad.

But his regional absence while on Test duty boosted the chances of his Scarlets rivals to shine.

Knoyle joins his former Scarlets boss Nigel Davies at Gloucester while scrum-halves Aled Davies, Gareth Davies and Rhodri Williams remain on the Scarlets' books.

But Knoyle becomes the latest Wales international player to seek a future elsewhere.

He joins wing George North (Northampton), hooker Matthew Rees (Cardiff Blues), fly-half Owen Williams (Leicester) and another 10, Dan Newton (London Scottish) in leaving the west Wales region.