George Earle is in fact going to Llanelli Scarlets

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The highly-skilled line-out jumper, who signed with Griquas this year, has featured prominently for the Cheetahs in the Super Rugby competition.

His agent, Anthony Johnson of World Artists, confirmed to this website that Earle will head to Llanelli in Wales after the conclusion of the Super Rugby season in mid-July.

“He has signed a three-year contract [with the Scarlets],” Johnson told this website, adding that Earle hopes to make enough of an impact to come into consideration for the Welsh national team once he qualifies to play for his adopted country at the completion of the three-year residency period.

“Playing at the next World Cup [2015 in England] is definitely attractive to the player,” Johnson told this website.

Earle represented Western Province at age-group level from 2005 to 2008, before making the step up to Vodacom Cup level.

The big lock forward moved from Cape Town to the Lions in Johannesburg in 2010, where he played for two years, before signing with Griquas this year.

However, he has been released from his contract in Kimberley and will head overseas without playing a single game for the Kimberley-based team – which lost to WP in the Vodacom Cup Final last Friday.

The arrival of Earle at the Scarlets follow the announcement earlier this month that the Welsh World Cup lock Lou Reed, 24, and veteran second row forward Damian Welch (29) are leaving the club.

The club on Monday reiterated the “commitment already made to supporters” that investment is being made to significantly bolster strength in the senior squad front five for the 2012/13 season.

* Earle is the third Cheetahs player who have announced that he would head abroad at the end of the Super Rugby season.

Cheetahs prop WP Nel will move to Edinburgh in Scotland, while Springbok loose forward Ashley Johnson will join London Wasps.