Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Patchell to leave Scarlets at end of season
- Published
Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Patchell have been team-mates for both Wales and Scarlets
Wales backs Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Patchell will leave Scarlets at the end of the season.
It has not yet been announced which clubs the duo will join next season.
British and Irish Lion Halfpenny, 34, whose previous clubs include Cardiff and Toulon, joined Scarlets in 2017.
Halfpenny and Patchell are the highest profile of 15 players leaving Parc y Scarlets at the end of the season, with Wales forward Aaron Shingler also departing.
The club had already announced that Sione Kalamafoni, who is heading to French side RC Vannes, Javan Sebastian (Edinburgh) and Dane Blacker (Dragons) would join new clubs.
Shingler has confirmed he is retiring due to injury, while Alex Jeffries has also been forced to quit rugby due to fitness issues.
Lewis Rawlins, Tom Price, Phil Price, Taylor Davies, Daf Hughes, Corey Baldwin, WillGriff John and Iestyn Rees will also be leaving Scarlets.
Argentina forward Tomas Lezana moved to Montauban in February.
However, the loss of Halfpenny and Patchell is a major blow to the region and a sign of the financial cutbacks hitting Welsh regional rugby.
Halfpenny made his first Wales start for 19 months during this season's Six Nations following a serious knee injury and will be hoping for a place in the World Cup squad later this year.
But at 34, his club future is now a major doubt with other clubs in Wales also struggling financially.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The salary cap for 2023-24 will be £5.2m for each of the four teams - Scarlets, Cardiff, Dragons and Ospreys - and will be reduced to £4.5m the following season.
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel has been forced to cut his squad from 50 players to about 38.
He said: "It is always tough to make this announcement, all the players have given so much to the jersey during their time here.
"Players like Shings, Leigh and Patch have played massive parts in Scarlets successes in the league and in Europe over the years.
"Lewis Rawlins is a club centurion, while Phil Price, Tom Price, Dane and Sione have played more than a half-century of matches.
"I am sure all will have fond memories of this place and all will want to help us finish this season by being part of a squad that wins a European trophy."
Patchell joined Scarlets in 2016 from Cardiff, who have admitted they are in the market for an outside-half following the loss of Rhys Priestland and Jarod Evans.
Having been capped 22 times by Wales, Patchell would have to remain in the country to have any chance of going to the World Cup under the new 25-cap agreement.
However, the 29-year-old would have to accept a large pay cut if he returned to his hometown club.
Scarlets have confirmed young second rows Morgan Jones and Jac Price have signed new contracts.
They follow Wales front rows Sam Wainwright and Ryan Elias, Bristol fly-half Ioan Lloyd and centre trio Joe Roberts, Ioan Nicholas and Eddie James to agree deals to remain at Parc y Scarlets next season.