Sam Hidalgo-Clyne set to depart Edinburgh for Scarlets

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne is on the cusp of a move to Scarlets. Picture: SNS Group

Wayne Pivac’s side are on the hunt for a player to replace the Ospreys-bound Wales international Aled Davies and is understood to be on the verge of agreeing a move to Parc Y Scarlets for the 2018/19 season.

Hidalgo-Clyne, capped nine times for Scotland, has been fourth in the pecking order for the national team, with Greig Laidlaw, Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos all preferred over the Spanish-born playmaker.

The 24-year-old has caught the eye during Edinburgh’s impressive PRO14 campaign this year and has played a big part in the capital club heading for the play-offs. Ironically, Hidalgo-Clyne was one of the stand-out performers as Edinburgh beat Scarlets 52-14 at BT Murrayfield recently.

Hidalgo-Clyne has made more than 100 appearances for Edinburgh since 2011, contributing 440 points to date.

He will join a strong pool of scrum-halves in Llanelli, including Wales starter Gareth Davies and former Dragons playmaker Jonathan Evans.

Scarlets are losing a number of players over the summer, including Scotland national team captain John Barclay, who is joining Edinburgh; Tadhg Beirne who is bound for Munster and Scott Williams, who is following Davies to Ospreys.

However, the likes of Uzair Casseim and Clayton Blommetjies have already been recruited from Cheetahs, while Kieron Fonotia and Blade Thomson have agreed to join from Ospreys and Hurricans respectively.

The Welsh regional side will also have to contend with a number of enforced absences during the build-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.