Confirmed: WillGriff John signs for Scarlets

Sale Sharks have confirmed that tighthead WillGriff John will leave the club at the end of the 2020/21 Gallagher Premiership season to join Scarlets in the hope of enhancing his prospects for selection by Wayne Pivac's Wales.  

The 28-year-old forward joined the Premiership club from Doncaster Knights in 2017, making an instant impact to the Sharks scrum with his power and strength cementing his spot in the Sale starting line-up.

John has made a total of 82 appearances in a Sale shirt over the past three seasons and he will join Scarlets with what Sale describe as their "full blessing in the hope of furthering his international ambitions with Wales".

John said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at Sale and I’m grateful for the time I have spent playing for the Sharks. We have a strong team now and I really want to finish this season on the right note. 

"Since joining Sale I feel I have improved as a player hugely, being around such high-quality players and coaches at the club has helped me learn a lot. I have a young family now, and the opportunity to return to Wales and be closer to home after so many years away was too good to turn down. 

"Scarlets are a prestigious region and I'm looking forward to joining up with them in the summer, but for the time being I'm 100 per cent committed to finishing the season on a high with the Sharks."

WillGriff is a player who has built a strong reputation in the Premiership with the Sharks and it is great that we are able to bring him back to Welsh rugby,” said Scarlets boss Glenn Delaney.

“He was due to win his first cap for Wales against Scotland last year only for the match to be postponed because of Covid and he is hungry to get back into the international set-up. He is a player who will add a lot to our squad and we look forward to welcoming him to Parc y Scarlets in the summer.”