Story byNigel Davies was in charge of Scarlets between 2008 and 2012 [Huw Evans Picture Agency]Chris Kirwan - BBC Sport WalesWed, January 14, 2026 at 5:48 PM UTC·4 min readNigel Davies was meant to be working as a management consultant this week but now he is preparing to take on Northampton Saints as boss of the Scarlets. The 60-year-old has returned to the Llanelli club for a third time as interim director of rugby and will be calling the shots at Franklin's Gardens in the Champions Cup on Sunday (15:15 GMT). AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementScarlets are bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) and are winless in the premier European tournament, albeit with a chance of sneaking through to the last 16 - or at least dropping into the Challenge Cup. That led to the board opting for a change of structure with former Llanelli and Wales centre returning above head coach Dwayne Peel, who led the club to the URC play-offs last season. Scarlets 'very dear to me'Davies has not been involved in the professional game since leaving Gloucester in 2014, which was followed by spells at Ebbw Vale and Merthyr. He was running his own management consultancy business, working largely in the aerospace sector, until getting the call from Scarlets. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It has been a bit of a whirlwind. The board had a review and felt there a need for new impetus at a crucial time for Welsh rugby," he said."I was contacted, asked if I would be interested and it didn't take me very long to make a decision because this club is very dear to me, and also the people within it."On his unlikely return to professional sport, he added: "I'm old enough to know that the phrase 'never say never' is very true". WRU accused of 'scaremongering' in clubs disputeCardiff fans warn WRU against Ospreys takeover dealHow Richards went from Dragons desk job to first teamDwayne Peel helped Wales to the 2005 and 2008 Six Nations Grand Slams [Huw Evans Picture Agency]Davies' arrival means Peel, who paid the price for festive derby defeats to Ospreys and Dragons then a home Champions Cup defeat to Pau, will no longer be the man in charge. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter returning from Ulster as head coach in 2021, the former scrum-half will retain his job title but reports to Davies."It's probably not great for him and they [the coaches] probably didn't want to see me in here on Tuesday, and I understand that," said the director of rugby, who spoke to Peel before taking the job."But he's a passionate Scarlet. He knows that a lot of the work he has had to do has taken him away from where he needs to be."We have taken that pressure away and he's now allowed to do what he is really good at."Calling the shotsDavies wants to make it quite clear he is the man charged with making the big decisions for the next five months. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It's very straightforward, it's not complicated at all," he said.
