Welsh side Scarlets has announced that Yokohama Canon Eagles lock Max Douglas will be joining the URC outfit next season.
Australian Douglas, 24, helped Yokohama to a third-place finish last year in his first season in Japan and scored four tries this term as his side lost out to Suntory Sungoliath in the third-place play-off in Tokyo on Saturday.
The 6ft 7in, 112kg second-rower had a taste of Super Rugby with the Waratahs in 2021 after coming through the ranks of Manly club in Sydney where his father Cameron Douglas recently served as the club president before stepping down in November 2023.
Douglas is known for his ball carrying and tenacious tackling and becomes the fourth Scarlets signing for the 2024-25 campaign as head coach Dwayne Peel has acted swiftly to add reinforcements after a disappointing season.
“Max is a young, athletic second row who has experience in Super Rugby and more recently in Japan’s top division,” said Peel who took over the role in 2021.
“He is comfortable with the ball hand, which suits how we are looking to play and is excited about coming on board and being part of the Scarlets journey over the coming years.
“Max is another strong addition to our forward pack following the signings of Marnus van der Merwe and Alec Hepburn and we are looking forward to welcoming him here to Parc y Scarlets this summer.”
Douglas, who last featured on 6 April, as he started in a win over the Black Rams Tokyo, told the Scarlets website: “I’m really excited to be joining the Scarlets. This is a club with a strong history and I’m excited at the challenge of trying to contribute to that.
“I’m looking to bring over some of the experiences and learnings I’ve gained from my time in Australia and Japan to hopefully add to what is a really strong playing group.
“I can’t wait to meet all the players and staff and get into our work.”
A host of high-profile stalwarts will leave the Scarlets this summer including former Wales captain Ken Owens, 37, who is retiring due to injury while his long-time club and international teammates Jonathan Davies, 36, and Scott Williams, 33, are both eyeing opportunities overseas.
RugbyJP understands that Major League Rugby clubs are leading the race to bring in Davies while Williams is understood to be keen on seeing out his career in Japan.
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