Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter has insisted that the Gallagher Premiership club aren't to blame for Joe Hawkins' controversial World Cup omission.
The five-cap centre was not named in Warren Gatland's 54-man training squad on Monday, with the Wales coach having been informed by the Professional Rugby Board he was unable to select the 20-year-old.
The issue stems from Hawkins being short of the 25 caps required to carry on playing Test rugby while based with a club outside of Wales.
Hawkins, well short of the 25 cap figure as he prepares to leave the Ospreys, could still have been eligible had he been able to prove a deal with Exeter had been signed before he was first called up by Wales last October.
Baxter had previously said that he expected Hawkins to be available for international selection, while also explaining why he had previously denied a move for the centre - saying that Hawkins asked him directly to play down rumours.
And now Baxter has insisted that the English club didn't shoulder any of the responsibility for Hawkins' omission.
“We don’t take any responsibility because we approached it completely with open arms, with the anticipation that he would play for Wales," he said.
“We felt that we had got everything in place we needed to. We complied with what we were asked to do with the information we had.
“Obviously Wales feel there’s stuff that doesn’t prove certain dates and times that they wanted. We haven’t done anything wrong, we certainly haven’t broken any rules.
“I think what will surprise people is how early we looked at Joe. He was playing under-20s rugby and I was watching those games with players we’ve got here.
“We’ve been looking at him for years basically. Whatever has happened has happened, but we’ll get on with it and support Joe in what he wants to do.”
Asked if he was surprised by Hawkins’ World Cup omission, Baxter said he was a “little bit”, but continued: “It certainly isn’t my place to be critical of the WRU.
“I’ve got to be very careful without knowing in depth what the situation is in Wales, what the regions’ thoughts are on it.
“There is a lot going on within rugby across the world, a lot going on in the Premiership. But if Wales decide they don’t want to take Joe to the World Cup then that’s their decision.”
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