Welsh rugby crisis: Scarlets making contract offers - Dwayne Peel
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Dwayne Peel is a former Scarlets, Wales and British and Irish Lions scrum-half
Scarlets have begun offering players formal deals with boss Dwayne Peel saying they hope to retain about half of the 20 players who are out of contract at the end of 2022-23.
Peel expects to have a squad of about 38 to 40 players in 2023-24, reduced from almost 50 currently registered as they absorb financial cuts.
The news comes as a contract offer impasse ends in Welsh rugby.
"We're in a position now where we can move on with that," said Peel.
"We need to get a few guys across the line who we want to keep and want to recruit so those are ongoing, but in terms of planning for next season, that's been ongoing for quite some time now."
Peel said Scarlets had been making verbal offers to players in the build-up to this week's developments in the professional tier of Welsh rugby.
Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA) chairman Ashton Hewitt told BBC Radio Wales the nation's players are "taking the brunt" of salary cuts.
That came after Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Nigel Walker said on Monday a formal deal with Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets over a new six-year funding framework would be signed in a "matter of days".
Former Wales international Walker told the BBC contracts will be offered to players this week despite the document not yet being signed off by all parties.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast Hewitt said the WRPA was confident that would happen and Peel backed that up with news of his region's actions.
A long-form agreement was given to the regions last week with the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) agreeing to lower the 60-cap rule to 25, and give WRPA chief executive Gareth Lewis a seat on the PRB, an organisation that runs the professional game in Wales and which includes representatives of the regions and the WRU, with Walker also on it.
The PRB has also given players the power to choose between a fixed-term contract and a fixed-element contract, but the new deal is expected to see the four regions given a significant drop in funding which has led to reports that players' salaries could face drastic cuts.
There are reports Cardiff players on salaries up to £250,000 have been offered new deals as low as £30,000 a year.
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In the face of such cuts Hewitt said some players will be forced to leave Wales to continue playing, unable to afford mortgages if they accept large drops in salary.
After Wales players agreed not to refuse to face England in the Six Nations last weekend, the focus turned to Dragons, Ospreys, Cardiff and Ospreys.
At Scarlets, Peel accepts more of his players will follow Tonga back-row star Sione Kalamafoni in leaving.
He also says while the money the regions receive will drop, it will be up to them to ensure a ready supply of rising talent from their academies and creating an environment which players do not want to leave.
Wales players who reach 25 caps can now also leave Welsh rugby and not wait for the previous 60-cap benchmark to remain eligible.
"I'm not against it as such... I think 25 whatever they needed to do, I think it's important to have something," said Peel.
"I think 25 caps gives you probably a World Cup cycle or close to it. Also, if a player is going to commit for four seasons for the region, then not every player above 25 caps is going to leave, either, is the truth of it.
"I think the big thing for me is that we make it tough for him to leave.
"We obviously need to give a good environment here and I can only speak for ourselves and we want the financial side of things (settled).
"In four years' time I don't know where the financial [situation] is going to be, that's obviously the big thing we need to have the planning for."
Peel also confirmed that, while they hope to recruit players, Scarlets are not seeking a direct replacement for powerful ball carrier Kalamafoni.
Instead head coach Peel is "comfortable" in having Carwyn Tuipulotu, Josh McLeod and Ben Williams as "three players who can fill that void".
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