Tonight's rugby news as Wales star pulls out for 'personal reasons' and Gatland gets huge injury scare

These are your evening rugby headlines on Saturday, May 18.

Wales star pulled from team

Wales centre Owen Watkin was removed from the Ospreys line-up in a late change ahead of their URC clash with the Dragons.

The 27-year-old had been due to start in midfield alongside Keiran Williams but it was confirmed an hour ahead of kick-off that he had been removed from the squad for the Welsh derby match at Swansea.com Stadium.

He was replaced at outside centre by Tom Florence, with Luke Scully coming on to the bench.

The BBC report that Watkin - who scored in his side's defeat to Leinster last weekend - was pulled from the starting line-up due to personal reasons.

The centre has made 19 appearances for the Ospreys so far this season and made his international return earlier this year, starring twice for Wales at the Six Nations.

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Gatland gets big injury scare

Wales fly-half Callum Sheedy was forced off injured during Bristol Bears' Premiership clash with Harlequins in a big potential blow to Warren Gatland and Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt.

Sheedy - who is leaving Bristol for the Blue & Blacks at the end of the season - was helped off shortly before half-time at The Stoop, having gone down in agony and received treatment on the pitch.

The blow means he has more than likely played his last game for the Bears and is a major doubt for Wales' tour of Australia this summer. If the injury is significant enough, he could also miss the start of next season at Arms Park.

It comes after the 28-year-old missed out on Six Nations selection after picking up a knee injury at the end of last year. After some exceptional performances for Pat Lam's side, Sheedy was tipped to make his international return and add to his 16 caps before being cruelly ruled out.

Sheedy was injured during the same play as Ellis Genge, with the England star also sparking concern as he was helped down the tunnel by four men, unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Welsh hooker set to leave English giants

Welsh hooker Iestyn Harris is reportedly set to leave Exeter Chiefs at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old moved to Sandy Park from Cardiff in 2022 after not being offered a new deal by the region - but has played just three times for the Chiefs since joining.

Former Wales U20s star Harris joined Cornish Pirates on loan last month and is now set to depart Exeter for good after two years. RugbyPass reports he will leave at the end of the current campaign as head coach Rob Baxter looks to trim his squad ahead of the new season.

When he made the move to Exeter in April 2022, Baxter said the front row "ticked a lot of the boxes I like to see in a young player". He added: "Iestyn just looks like one of those guys who has an ambition, a dream, a drive, just to be the best player he can be."

Peel 'delighted' with Scarlets win

Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel said he was "absolutely delighted" after his side ensured they would not finish bottom of this season's URC table with a 32-18 win over Zebre.

A brace of tries from scrum-half Gareth Davies, as well as further scores from Ryan Elias and Tomi Lewis, ensured the Scarlets won for just the fourth time this campaign. It was also their first victory outside of Wales for over two years, with their last also coming against Zebre in March 2022.

Speaking after the full-time whistle in Parma, Peel said he was thrilled by the way his side performed as they "got the rewards" for a dominant showing.

“We’re absolutely delighted with the win," he said. "We dominated possession and took our chances when we got into their half.

“I felt at times I felt we let them back into it, but we took back control of the game and scored some good tries. They came after us, but credit to the lads, we stuck at it, played in the right areas and got the rewards.”