There is something missing from the Welsh rugby scene this year.
Pictures of smiling players and coaches as new contracts are signed.
There are no deals being done, certain futures remain up in the air and players' minds are not being eased amid the financial impasse that’s seen the four professional teams blocked from signing new players and retaining existing ones.
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The story has come to the fore again this week with the news that Will Rowlands could leave the Dragons in the absence of the region being able to offer him a long-term deal he’d be happy with. You can read the latest on that here.
Hopefully from a Dragons perspective, the logjam will be broken in the coming weeks and the embargo on re-signing players lifted.
By then, though, Rowlands may have made up his mind.
Only in Welsh rugby...
We take a look at some of the players we think are coming out of contract and so may be prey to approaches from outside Wales while the game this side of the River Severn dithers.
Will Rowlands
He’s been linked with Bath and Racing 92 with the numbers involved from the French, in particular, likely to be long enough and impressive enough to make Rowlands think long and hard about a potential move from the Dragons.
His problem might be that he could lose his eligibility for Wales and not play at the World Cup under the rule that stops exiled Wales internationals from pulling on the red jersey if they have fewer than 60 caps. If he isn’t contracted to a Welsh region by the time the global tournament starts, and is playing outside the regional scene, he would not be able to play in the said competition.
The Dragons will be desperate to keep him, but Rowlands is said to have been less than impressed with an offer tabled a while ago and the Welsh club are unable to put forward a new one amid the financial gridlock in Welsh rugby.
It’s a mess and underlines why there needs to be more flexibility in the banding system that players are placed in. It also emphasises how urgently a fresh deal on finance needs to be agreed between the regions and the Welsh Rugby Union. Such issues should have been sorted way before now.
Seeing Welsh rugby’s current player of the year depart would not be a good look.
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Ross Moriarty
Another Dragon, another player over whom there are question marks for next term.
Stade Francais reportedly made contact with him last season, but he had more than a year left on his contract at the time and the proposed move went nowhere.
But Moriarty becomes a free agent at the end of this term and he is likely to attract interest from across Europe and beyond.
He has made no firm decision on his plans.
The 54-cap player needs six more Wales appearances to avoid falling foul of the selection rule on exiled players ahead of the World Cup. Not featuring during the autumn hasn’t helped him on that point, but he is a player a Wales coach would want the option of picking and the Dragons would presumably like to stay.
There's a fair bit to play for, then.
But the sooner negotiations can start at Rodney Parade, the better.
Jac Morgan
How good was this guy during the autumn?
Good enough to put countless clubs on alert, in all probability.
Who wouldn’t be impressed by a flanker who can rip through tackles, put in double-figure hauls of hits himself every time he takes the field and achieve turnovers?
Morgan does all that and more.
Tom Shanklin called him Wales' Ardie Savea. You can read here how the youngster rated in the game against Australia.
He’s out of contract in the summer and would probably want to stay with the Ospreys, where he has settled and built on his progress at the Scarlets, but covetous eyes are likely to be watching and the financial hiatus in Welsh rugby means there’s scope for offers from outside coming in to tempt him.
Of course, the 60-cap rule would be a factor for any young player to consider.
But the WRU shouldn’t bank on it totally. In a perfect world, the Ospreys would have nailed down Morgan by now, with the same applying for big names at the region and beyond.
Rhys Webb
He's started just one Test for Wales since returning from a stint in France in 2020.
But over the past season-and-a-half his form for the Ospreys has been excellent, with Webb thriving as captain when Justin Tipuric has been away. By all accounts, the 33-year-old has provided an outstanding lead for the youngsters in the region's squad in South Africa right now.
Again, the assumption is the coaches at the Swansea.com Stadium region would be anxious to retain a player who has offered them such value.
That he enjoys playing for the Ospreys isn't in doubt.
But the uncertainty in Welsh rugby will be particularly worrying for any player in his early 30s.
Rhys Patchell
The fly-half signed a new contract earlier this year and no length of deal was put out publicly.
However, it is believed his arrangement will last until the end of this season.
Injuries have hit him hard over the years, but he’s an international player and still only 29. If he doesn’t reach agreement over a new arrangement with the Scarlets, he’s unlikely to be short of would-be suitors.
Dan Lydiate
A broken arm is currently keeping Lydiate out of action.
Welsh rugby's great gladiator plays the game with relentless physical commitment that involves putting his body on the line with next to no regard for his own well-being.
With an embargo on regions negotiating deals, what if such a player picked up another major injury, say, in the new year? Given the way he plays, the risk of a bump is never too far away. Hopefully, it won’t happen. But if it did, where would that leave the 34-year-old and his rugby future?
It double underlines why, to be fair to players, Welsh rugby needs to break the impasse, set in place a new package and allow the professional sides the scope to retain their players and sign new ones.
Sam Davies
The playmaker penned a two-year package with the Dragons in 2021, despite being on the radar of English Premiership clubs.
He was linked with England, France and even Super Rugby two years previous when coming out of contract with the Ospreys.
The interest from the Gallagher Premiership and the Top 14 is likely to revive as he heads for the end of his current deal in Newport.
Expect offers to come in after Christmas.
Rhys Priestland
Cardiff don’t release exactl details on contract lengths, so there is an element of uncertainty over their players.
However, the suggestion is that around 40 percent of their squad could be heading for free-agent status.
One is thought to be Priestland.
He is 35 and still in the Wales team. He has also played well for Cardiff this season.
But his future is up in the air, with the player presumably unsure about how his situation will pan out.
Dewi Lake
He’s undoubtedly a player the Ospreys would want to put under lock and key.
Seen as a future Wales captain, he is dynamic, physical and a leader to his core.
But his contract with the Swansea.com Stadium region is speeding to towards its close and plenty of rival teams will be watching.
As with Morgan, the 60-cap rule is a disincentive for a youngster to move outside Wales.
But the Ospreys will still not be totally happy until they see Lake’s name on a fresh deal. He’s a player they see as a key part of their future.
Jonathan Davies
The Scarlets centre is understood to be of contract this summer, though his region, like Cardiff, don’t tend to release such details.
Might not one of Welsh rugby’s most experienced and respected players prove an attractive potential option for an English or French club who need some midfield nous and solidity?
What are the Scarlets’ views?
Whatever, the Welsh rugby impasse means clarity on the situation hasn’t been forthcoming.
Gareth Anscombe
You’d have thought he’d want to play at the World Cup after missing the last one.
But there were reports earlier this year he might be heading for Japan after the World Cup when his single-year deal with the Ospreys expires.
Serious injury has already brought home to Anscombe how precarious a rugby player’s career can be. He is currently sidelined again after picking up a bump in the autumn Tests.
He’s not likely to be impressed with the situation in Wales as it is.
Nicky Smith
Strangely overlooked for all but 35 minutes of Wales' recent autumn campaign.
What was all that about?
Anyway, Smith becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
The Ospreys rate him and would want to keep a player that some see as the top-performing loose-head on the regional scene in recent seasons with his ability to scrummage, turn ball over, hit hard in the tackle and take the ball forward in his distinctive twisting style.
But there's be outside interest.
Again, the delay on contract negotiations will not help the Welsh region.
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