Heading home.

Scarlets hve today confirmed that Scottish international back-row John Barclay will leave the region at the end of the season to join Edinburgh Rugby.

Barclay, 31, joined the Scarlets ahead of the 2013-14 season, from Glasgow Warriors, and he’s gone on to 96 appearances to date for the region becoming a cornerstone of the pack as well as captaining the side on numerous occasions.

The experienced back-row, who will captain Scotland against New Zealand tomorrow, started 21 of 22 competitive fixtures for the Scarlets in 2016-17 helping the Scarlets to a Guinness PRO12 championship title.

Head Coach Wayne Pivac said:

“John has been a great servant to the club and his leadership qualities, both on and off the field, will be missed. He offers a wealth of experience to any side and we will wish him well on his onward journey. In the meantime, we look forward to welcoming John back to the squad in a couple of weeks time as we continue our league campaign.”

Commenting on the news Barclay said:

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Scarlets and I’m really pleased that I got to win the PRO12 with this particular group of players and coaches. 

“I’d like to thank the players, coaches, backroom staff and most of all the fans for their support over the last five seasons.

“We’re currently top of our conference in the PRO14 and I’m looking forward to getting back into domestic action and giving my all for the remainder of the season in the Scarlets jersey.”