The 29-year-old ex Pontypridd playmaker joined the West Wales region ahead of the 2014-15 season having hung up his playing boots to concentrate on a career on the sidelines. He worked alongside former Backs Coach Mark Jones as the region’s Development Skills Coach.
Jones parted company with the region before the end of the season and incoming coach Stephen Jones will not arrive until the summer. So Flanagan will oversee the backs coaching and attacking play at Parc Y Scarlets for the remainder of their push for the PRO12 top six.
Flanagan said: “There’s four months until the end of the season when Steve comes in where I’ll be looking after the backs and helping out with the attack.
“I’ve had three weeks with the backs and attack now leading up to the Connacht game during the LV= Cup block. It’s been good to get some time under my belt with them.”
The Scarlets scored four tries to move level on points with Connacht, who occupy the final European Rugby Champions Cup qualification spot. And Flanagan reckons their back-to-basics can continue to help them hit their European target.
He said: “We tried to keep things simple. We’re trying to test the boys’ accuracy. I’ve put a lot of ownership on the players to make decisions and again express themselves. They’ve got some ownership on the way we attack now and it’s important to them. Getting a lot of ball helped.
“We’re not looking to change a lot – the foundations have been built over the years. Simple things done well will always work. If we get a four on three we need to execute it. Scarlets have always played a nice brand of rugby and I’d like to think that that will continue.”
