Scarlets have appointed Aaron Dundon as lead forwards coach ahead of the 2026-27 season, adding another Leinster-influenced voice to Dwayne Peel’s rebuilt backroom staff.
The Welsh region confirmed Dundon’s arrival on Monday, with the former Leinster hooker moving to West Wales after working inside the Irish province’s coaching group. Scarlets said he will lead the forwards programme, aligning the scrum, lineout, maul and collision work into one clear identity.
It is a pointed appointment for a side trying to turn promise into something more durable in the BKT URC. Scarlets have had enough attacking talent under Peel to trouble good sides, but their next step depends on building a pack that can give that game a repeatable platform.
Why Dundon changes the Scarlets equation
Dundon’s CV is heavy on set-piece detail. Scarlets highlighted his time with Leinster, Ireland U20s, FC Grenoble, Ulster, La Rochelle and Tasman Mako, as well as his 49 appearances as a Leinster player.
Nigel Davies framed the move as a structural upgrade rather than a simple staff addition. Dundon will work with lineout specialist Albert van den Berg and contact-area coach Bradley Davies, while Emyr Phillips moves fully into his Scarlets Academy role.
The appointment also follows the region’s recent push to harden their squad for the new campaign, including the signing of Scarlets-bound All Blacks forward Cullen Grace.
Dundon said the squad’s talent needs a “physical and dominant set-piece” to release the expansive rugby associated with the club. That is the line that matters. Scarlets have not hired him for cosmetics; they have hired him to make the first eight collisions of a match feel less negotiable.
Read the official Scarlets announcement here.
