DWAYNE Peel has revealed his emotional ties to the Scarlets meant the opportunity to take charge of his home region was too good to turn down.
The former Wales scrum-half, 39, was recently appointed as the main man in Llanelli having originally signed a contract to become backs coach at Cardiff Rugby.
Peel's decision to renege on his Cardiff deal was met with outrage in the Welsh capital, but he insists the challenge of getting the Scarlets firing again was the role he always wanted.
“I felt the timing for me and my family was right to come back to Wales and then obviously things happened as they did,” Peel told TRP in his first interview as Scarlets head coach.
“I'd agreed to go to Cardiff, but then I had the contact from the Scarlets. There was something inside me that said I really wanted to do it.
“It's my home club and when I left here as a player 13 to 14 years ago, I always thought I'd come back within two or three years to play but it never happened.
“It was a tough decision having committed to Cardiff and I'm sorry in many ways for the way it happened. But when I was true to myself and thought about it properly, this is where my head and my heart was telling me I wanted to be. It wasn't an ideal situation and I understand that, but I wouldn't be doing myself or others justice if I didn't do what I felt was best for myself.”
Peel, below, is a legend in west Wales having made 151 appearances as a player over nine seasons before he moved to Sale.
The 2005 British & Irish Lions tourist cut his coaching teeth as an assistant coach at Bristol and then Ulster. While Peel enjoyed being an attack coach, he is relishing the prospect of having total control at the Scarlets and is aiming to get the best out of a talented back division which includes the likes of Gareth Davies, Rhys Patchell, Jonathan Davies and Liam Williams.
“It was an exciting one for me because with being the head coach you get access to the way the team wants to play and that is great,” Peel said. “Where we are really blessed is we've got individuals who can turn a game. If we can get consistency in all the areas of our game it will give those guys a framework and even more opportunity to express themselves.
“My background is attack and I want us to attack well. The honest truth is defences are getting better and the game is about physicality and speed so it's important you have a balanced view on it.
“I need to work out a way where we can create opportunities and convert them. I'm excited to work with this group of players.”
The Scarlets haven't won any silverware since being crowned PRO12 champions in 2017, but Peel believes they can compete for trophies over the coming seasons.
Asked what his longterm goal was with the Scarlets, Peel responded: “To win silverware. I think there are a lot of things that need to happen for that to be put into place.
“One is to make sure the environment is right. We've got good players, we've got good players coming through, and we're always going to have good talent within our area.
“It's about harnessing that and getting that competition within the team.”
The Scarlets have already recruited Sale prop WillGriff John, Wales centre Scott Williams and Argentinian loose forward Tomas Lezana for the 2021/22 campaign.
Peel is on the lookout for more recruits. He said: “We are looking at certain areas whether it'll be now or sometime in the future. We are continuously looking for people who want to come here and be part of the Scarlets.”
By STEFFAN THOMAS
