Blommetjie becomes second South African to join Scarlets in a matter of weeks

The Scarlets have raided Pro14 rivals Cheetahs for a second time in a matter of weeks, with the signing of Clayton Blommetjie.

Last month Springbok number eight Uzair Cassiem agreed a deal to join the Welsh side.

Blommetjies came through the ranks at the Bulls, playing all his junior rugby there, and later at the age of 20, made his senior debut in the Currie Cup.

He has Super Rugby experience with the Cheetahs, playing 39 times and scoring four tries and has certainly made an impression in the Pro 14 this season - scoring four tries, making five try assists and features in the top five for metres gained.

The 27-year-old has represented South Africa at four levels - SA Schools Academy, SA Students, SA Under 20's and SA Sevens.

"We’re delighted to be welcoming Clayton to the Scarlets for the forthcoming season." head coach Wayne Pivac said.

"He’s a talented player that can play in a number of position across the backline. His flexibility will offer us options, particularly during the international windows. Clayton is an exciting runner with a big kick off both feet and also has match-winning ability."

"With Super Rugby and Guinness PRO14 experience Clayton will be an important addition to us going forward."

Blommetjies added  "This is an exciting new chapter for me and my family and one that I’m really excited for."

"When I met with Wayne and Jon I got a real sense of how professional the club is both on and off the field.

"They’re doing well in both European and Guinness PRO14 competitions at the moment and it’s an exciting prospect that we could potentially meet in the quarter finals in a few weeks time."

The Scarlets have certainly been busy, Welsh internationals Aaron Shingler, Ryan Elias, James Davies, Rhys Patchell, Wyn Jones, Gareth Davies, Jake Ball, Jonathan Davies and Hadleigh Parkes have put pen to paper on new deals, along with Dylan Evans, Jonathan Evans, Lewis Rawlins, Phil Price.

Blommetjies is the fourth new face for next season, following deals for Cassiem, Blade Thomson and Kieron Fonotia.

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