Wales outside-half Stephen Jones has signed a new deal with Llanelli Scarlets, which keeps him at the club until 2011.

The news means Jones joins captain Simon Easterby, Wales wing Mark Jones and former All Black Regan King in pledging their futures to the club.

"Llanelli mean an incredible amount to me - this is where I've played most of my rugby, the supporters are the best in the world and the region has a fabulous future," said Jones.

"It's been a privilege and a pleasure to play at Stradey Park and I'm desperately keen to help the region make the most of the new stadium and help the Scarlets develop further as the professional era evolves.

"The past few weeks have been interesting because there were some hugely tempting offers from other high-quality clubs.

"Now, however I'm happy to be settled and able to focus on winning silverware with the Scarlets this season and in the future."

Scarlets director of coaching Phil Davies said: "Stephen's an iconic figure here and is a renowned talent - we didn't want to lose him and worked very hard to ensure that his future was with us."

And the news was also greeted warmly by the Welsh Rugby Union, who are delighted Jones will continue to ply his trade in the country.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: "This is pleasing news, having Stephen close to base camp in the coming years can only be beneficial to the Welsh game and to the prospects of our national team."

And WRU chief executive Roger Lewis added: "The team will benefit from his talent and experience, the supporters will benefit from watching him in action and Welsh rugby will benefit from having him here.

"Everyone now knows we are concerned about the playing location of our internationals and the effect this will have on selection decisions.

"Having Stephen here in the Welsh fold makes him front of thought for our coaching team and will help boost the competition for the Wales jersey."

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