Anscombe happy to play Scarlets supporting role

Fly-half Gareth Anscombe is looking forward to perhaps the final playing project in his career after joining Scarlets for the new season.

The 35-year-old left French club Bayonne without a new club in the summer, wondering where his future lay.

“I felt like with the way the season went in France, I didn’t play as much as I would have liked, particularly towards the back end,” Anscombe told the Scrum V podcast.

“I wanted to keep playing and felt I could contribute and was hopeful something would happen.”

That offer came from Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel, with the Welsh side looking for an experienced number 10 to go alongside current Wales fly-half Sam Costelow and teenage rising star Carwyn Leggatt-Jones.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I could be the right fit and the Scarlets felt like that,” said Anscombe.

“The squad excited me and I feel like I’ve got a nice place to fill in supporting those young guys.

“I would love to see Sam and Carwyn progress and have long careers ahead of them.

“I want to be playing a bit, supporting the group and hopefully passing on some knowledge I’ve learned over my career.”

Anscombe knows he will take on a different role this season after traditionally competing to be the number one fly-half for club and country.

He admits that is not something he would have considered a decade ago.

“I suppose maturity and getting older kicks in and I realise I am 35,” said Anscombe.

“It’s a young man’s game and I am aware of that these days.

“Don’t get me wrong, I want to play and play well and there is always that competition.

“My competitive nature will come out and I’m hoping to still make the coaches have difficult decisions.”

Anscombe will also look for a period of being injury-free, having played intermittently for clubs since a serious knee problem in 2019 that ruled him out for more than two years.

On his return, Anscombe played 18 games in two seasons for Ospreys between 2021 and 2023.

He made 17 appearances for Gloucester in the 2024-25 season before featuring in six games for Bayonne during the 2025-26 campaign.

Anscombe made his first Scarlets appearance in the 80-14 pre-season defeat against Dragons and is set to face Saracens this weekend, before the United Rugby Championship (URC) season starts with a derby against Cardiff in Llanelli on 26 September.

Gareth Anscombe made his first Scarlets appearance in a pre-season friendly against Dragons in September 2026 [Huw Evans Picture Agency]

Eighteen-year-old Leggatt-Jones has been identified as a future Wales star but Anscombe hopes the national side stop picking up-and-coming talents too soon.

“The issues we’ve had in the past, particularly in Wales, are that as soon as you have a good game at URC level, there’s usually an article the next day about them making a Welsh squad,” said Anscombe.

“If you look at the top teams in the world, guys have to have usually one or two good seasons, not one or two games, to be looked at for the next level.

“Probably in the recent past I feel we have been too quick to try and push guys ahead after one or two performances.”

Anscombe used the example of former Cardiff flanker Josh Navidi, who starred for three or four seasons at domestic level before he got a regular run in the Wales side.

“If we can get Welsh international rugby back to the success we’ve had in the previous years, we’re going to need to try and get to the point where we’re asking guys to do it for one or two years,” said Anscombe.

“We need consistency because Test rugby is a different beast.

“Particularly during the last five or six years, we’ve been a bit too quick to pull young guys out of regional rugby and put pressure on their shoulders when they probably haven’t been ready.

“The knock-on effect is that if we don’t get the right results, which we’ve struggled with, you dent these guys’ confidence. It takes a while to bounce back and hurt a few guys in the past.

“Players want to get to the top as quickly as possible, but everyone’s got a duty of care to help extend guys’ careers and make sure they’re in a good position when they get that chance.”

Anscombe has never been afraid to voice his opinion on Welsh rugby matters

The most pressing concern is the restructure of the men’s professional game. WRU plans will see either Ospreys or Scarlets cut by 2028, with a final decision being made next year.

Anscombe, who has now played for both west Wales sides, said: “It was refreshing when we were in France not to see a new article every day about it.

“There’s so much unknown and I’m in a different position from other boys, knowing I am at the back end of my career.

“I know there’s some real concern from the boys, which isn’t nice. It’s going to affect a lot of people, communities and players.”

Anscombe questioned whether the change to three professional sides would occur.

“I’m not even assuming it’s going to happen, and that’s my honest opinion,” said Anscombe.

“What has happened in the last five or six years to show there’s any decisiveness or decision-making?

“I could be wrong but nothing [Welsh rugby] has done in the last six years has happened quickly.

“We’ve been talking about this for so long, I equally wouldn’t be as surprised if we just make a decision in November we’re going to keep all four.

“I might be wrong but we shall see.”