Scarlets sign Pumas lock Tomás Vallejos

THE Scarlets have strengthened their squad with the signing of Argentinean lock Tomás Vallejos — although they may have to wait for the Puma's arrival in Llanelli.

The 27-year-old, who made his international debut at last year's Rugby World Cup, joins the West Wales region from English Premiership champions Harlequins.

New Scarlets head coach Simon Easterby is understandably delighted to be able to add an international lock to his ranks ahead of the coming season.

However, the 6ft 6in Vallejos could miss early parts of the campaign because of Test commitments if he is named in the Argentina squad to take on the Tri Nations big guns in the forthcoming Rugby Championship which starts next month.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk

myprint-247

View details

Print voucher

Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.

Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk

Contact: 01858 468192

Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013

The tournament runs in the southern hemisphere until October 6 — a week before the start of the Heineken Cup — while Vallejos could also be involved in Europe's November international series, including a clash with some of his Scarlets team-mates when Argentina take on Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

An athletic, ball-handling second row, Vallejos has been at The Stoop for the last two seasons after arriving from Italian club Parma. He made 23 appearances, 12 of them starts, for the Quins last season.

Having represented Argentina at under-17 through to under-23 level, he made his debut for the Pumas during last year's World Cup in New Zealand, coming off the bench in the pool match against Georgia.

With Dominic Day (Bath), Lou Reed (Blues) and Damian Welch (Exeter) having moved on in the close season, Vallejos's signing further bolsters the Scarlets' front five resources with South African George Earle — currently playing for The Cheetahs in the Super 15 — also on board.

"We are delighted that Tomás will be joining our squad for next season," said Easterby.

"He is a player we followed closely throughout last season while he was at Harlequins and we believe he can bring a new dimension to our second row options, enhancing and strengthening our set-piece play.

"We want to bring in players who are the right fit for us as well as complementing the players we have here already.

"He is an excellent line-out forward, an athletic player and exactly the type of player we see fitting well with the way we want to play at the Scarlets and our ambitions for the future.

"We have been clear that we would be committed to strengthening our second-row options as part of our further progression next season and it is positive for the region and the wider squad that we will have two talented, ambitious international-class players joining us next season.

"It adds to the dynamic in the squad with two players that we believe can really add an edge to our game.

"We've been working with Tomás for several weeks regarding the final arrangements for his move to Parc y Scarlets after securing him last month and it's great to see the enthusiasm he has for the Scarlets as a rugby region.

"He's excited and motivated about the move with the players he'll be joining and our style and ambitions for next season, both in the RaboDirect Pro12 and European competitions."