Welsh rugby has received a fresh warning today that will send a tremor through the game barely a month out from the autumn internationals.
Players have seen contract negotiations frozen by the Welsh Rugby Union and Professional Rugby Board in the absence of a fresh funding arrangement for the sport this side of the River Severn, and they are deeply concerned to the point where some are even said to support not taking the field.
Among their worries is that a serious injury to a player heading for free-agent status, who hasn’t negotiated a new deal, could leave the said individual struggling to nail down a new package beyond this season.
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There is also anxiety that an agreement over an over-arching financial settlement for the game here could involve significant pay cuts for some players. Discussions are said to be taking place whereby future salaries may be slashed by 10 to 20 percent with performance bonuses added to make up the difference.
Not all players would be affected — those moving up salary bands, for instance, would not lose out — but some players could be hit.
Other matters on the table in discussions at the top end of the game in Wales are said to be a potential limit put on the number of players in certain salary bands and the Welsh Rugby Union being able to move a player from one region to another if, for instance, they feel he’s not playing often enough.
There is a further suggestion the rule that stops exiled players from playing for Wales if they have fewer than 60 caps will stay in place. But, again, it’s not exactly a guaranteed vote winner among players, particularly amid talk of wages at the regions being reduced.
Many players, including some at the top of the game, are believed to be less than impressed with much of what’s being fed back to them.
One said: “It’s a mess. All we want is for things to be sorted quickly, a fair deal for all and then we can concentrate on what we get paid for, namely playing.”
He added the worries over contract negotiations currently being frozen and any changed pay arrangements had disillusioned some players so much they would even back industrial action or, at the very least, consider moves outside Wales.
The disquiet comes as talks continue over a new financial settlement for professional rugby in Wales. Cardiff Rugby, Dragons RFC, Ospreys and Scarlets are receiving a £23.5 million payment from the Welsh Rugby Union for this season but contend that the figure isn’t enough to meet their costs, especially after Covid and its impact on the pay-for-play game.
A fresh package is being talked about that would see the regions be paid £32 million annually for the first five years, with the extra money coming partly from the £51 million the union are receiving as part of CVC's investment in the Six Nations. The new figure would see a £13 million loan from the union to the pro teams over the next two years to see them through immediate financial challenges, with all four already having to pay back a £20 million loan taken out by the union on their behalf to keep the game in Wales afloat during the pandemic.
There is a suggestion the union also want benefactors to return in the pro game. Apparently, it is not an idea that has exactly thrilled all of those who’d be expected to dig deep into their pockets.
Some will say turmoil is the default setting for the Welsh game, but barely five weeks out from Wales' autumn series opener against New Zealand and with the United Rugby Championship already kicked off, it's hardly an environment Wayne Pivac or any of the regional bosses would have wanted.
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