Faamatuainu joins the Scarlets
Jonny Faamatuainu has joined the Scarlets in a long-term deal after Bath said they would not offer him a new contract.
The Samoan winger will make the move to Wales and has already said that he is looking forward to playing in the Magners League and taking on fresh opportunities and challenges.
He never really made the cut at Bath who are a club always pushing for the title in each Premiership season. With the Premiership looking tougher than ever with the season nearly upon us, Bath clearly felt he was surplus to requirements.
The winger has a long list of playing qualities that should allow him to nail down a starting place at Scarlets if he can display them on a consistent basis. However, some say that the Magners League is a small step down for the Premiership and there are many differences that he will have to consider.
Playing Qualities
The Samoan winger is all about pace and power. He is not a very small man and this makes it confusing why he is used in the wide areas of the field. However, his pace across short distances is astonishing and something that has led to him scoring a high volume of points.
His size also means that he is more versatile than other wingers that Scarlets could have signed. He can drop inside and get involved in the middle of the pitch. His strength will mean that he is not out of place and it could be the difference in a pack or scrum.
He did play a few times for Bath over the course of a few seasons and this equipped with his international career means he has a good standard of experience, which he can use to help his new club in different ways.
Scarlets head coach Nigel Davies said: "Jonny will offer us exciting options. Not only as a flair player but because of his flexibility to be able to play across the back and second row. We've been talking to Bath for a while now - the move fits well with us as we've been looking to bring in new blood and certain types of player into our forwards."
Differences
There will be a few key differences that the player will experience playing outside of the Premiership. The pace of the rugby is going to be a little bit slower and this is something he will have to get used to very quickly.
He will also have to cope with being targeted much more often in terms of very physical challenges and tackles. There will still be protection from the referee but teams will try and bully him out of a game as soon as they can.
Davies added: "Jonny's obviously hungry for more game time and his move fits with Bath's squad make-up next season and the new signings they've made this summer. He's been down a few times to meet with us and see our set-up and was clearly impressed with the training facilities and the stadium at Parc y Scarlets and is looking forward to making an impact here amongst the team and with our supporters."
Betting advice
Scarlets are an outsider for success this season and nothing more. Although this is a very positive arrival for the club they are still short in a few areas and there are other sides that have much better squads and chances of success.
The best option is to go match by match, which will allow you to cash in on any run of Scarlets form and any run of try scoring form that this player has.
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