Exiled Wales international Aled Davies believes Welsh rugby should ditch the 60-cap rule.
The 29-year-old Saracens scrum-half — whom the London club’s director of rugby Mark McCall says Sarries are lucky to have — has made clear he still wants to play for his country.
Davies is set to feature against Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs on Saturday, with the Wales World Cup player from 2019 having had an outstanding season to date with his fast service, pinpoint kicking and eye for a gap.
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But he is off limits to national head coach Wayne Pivac under the Welsh Rugby Union rule which prevents exiled players with fewer than 60 caps from playing for Wales. It isn’t a regulation Davies agrees with.
In the latest edition of Rugby World magazine, he is quoted as saying: “Wales should scrap the 60-cap rule. I still want to play for Wales but I’m better off playing here because of the environment.
“We’re constantly playing in big games and the group of players we’ve got here is unbelievable.”
Proponents of the 60-cap rule would argue it has aided the men's Wales national team by keeping players in regional rugby and so allowing Pivac more access to them. It has also helped the regions hold on to players who might otherwise have been tempted to look beyond Wales to play their rugby.
Critics of the regulation would contend players can benefit from broadening their horizons and playing in a different league. Back in the day Stephen Jones improved while operating in the Top 14, while Dan Biggar has thrived in English rugby and so did Liam Williams during his time with Saracens.
Pluses and minuses, then, but no sign of the rule disappearing any time soon or even changing, say, to allow those exiles who have played 150 regional games to continue their Test careers from outside Wales: Davies has played 149 competitive matches for the Scarlets and Ospreys. When friendlies are included he makes it over the 150 mark.
Whatever happens, he is clearly relishing his stint over the border, saying: “I’m loving life at Saracens - how professional the environment is and how much fun and camaraderie we have, as a group and as an organisation.
“My kicking game was strong before coming here but it’s probably got even better — the consistency and variation of it. We use the nine a lot to kick, so it has to be.”
Saracens are clearly delighted to have him, with McCall saying last month: “Aled was the first scrum-half we had spotted who had all the capabilities we wanted. It was a very brave move by him, effectively saying goodbye to international rugby.
“His passing and speed between breakdowns is as good as I have seen. He is an incredibly tough competitor, so he really adds defensively. He kicks the ball beautifully as well, and we are lucky to have him.” You can read McCall's full comments here.
Tomos Williams, Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy are the scrum-halves traveling to South Africa with the Wales squad this summer.
