Not a single Wales squad member for the upcoming Women's Rugby World Cup plays their club rugby in Wales. Let that sink in for a moment.
Not necessarily a problem for each of the 32 players on an individual basis, it has presented the Welsh Rugby Union with a conundrum for some time when considered as a collective trend, even a necessity, as players travel across the border to play the most meaningful, high-quality club rugby that is available to them in between international campaigns.
The subject of how best to bridge the gap between grassroots and international women's rugby in Wales has been in performance director Nigel Walker's in-tray since he joined the WRU a year ago, with the ambition to eventually provide a comparable club rugby option on home soil to complete a standalone pathway.
In direct contrast to the WRU's 60-cap rule for Wayne Pivac's Wales team whereby most players are prevented from playing elsewhere if they want to play Test rugby, it is widely accepted that playing in England's top women's competition — the RFU-run Allianz Premier 15s, which is almost entirely made up of clubs affiliated to a men's Premiership side — offers Wales Women players the best preparation possible in between international campaigns.
Now, in a positive update, Walker has revealed he hopes an announcement will be made over the coming months which will mark a stepping stone to a more firm solution, with talks ongoing with both Ireland and Scotland, who face a similar challenge.
"We know we need to fix the top end of that programme," Walker said. "We know we need to have an option in Wales, or options in Wales, which are as attractive or almost as attractive as going over the bridge. We know we need to do that if we’re going to build something sustainable.
"It doesn’t mean there won’t be any Welsh female players playing across the border but we need to have an option here in Wales, and we’re working on that. I am confident we will have an announcement in the next two to three months on the first part of that development, in terms of the gap between international and our club rugby.
"You haven’t got to be Einstein to work out that’s a problem for us. We’re trying to fix it, but it’s not rushing to a solution, it’s coming up with the right answer which is important."
Run by England's governing body, the Premier 15s is where most of England's Red Roses ply their club trade and it has seen an influx of international talent from the likes of Wales, Scotland, Ireland, USA and Canada since its inception in 2017. Some quarters have mooted the idea of a Welsh team joining the Premier 15s as the simplest solution, but Walker revealed last autumn that English rugby bosses had rejected that proposal. One year on, nothing is off the table although there is no formal WRU application submitted to join the next cycle of the competition from 2023-24.
"Nothing is off the table," Walker said. "That’s an active conversation. I have spoken to my colleagues in the RFU about the possibility of an entry. It’s one of the considerations. There’s no formal application [from the WRU]. It's one of the things we are talking about. They haven’t offered it. We do have other options.
"The correct option is not necessarily about putting one team in the Premier 15s. It could be about building an opportunity for more than one team to play quality rugby on a regular basis. That’s the ultimate aim, but we might have to start with something a little bit smaller than that which doesn’t get us to the end point but is a stepping stone. I can’t reveal anything at the moment but we’re working on it."
The WRU is in talks with Ireland and Scotland, with the latter announcing this summer that it is planning to have two semi-professional women's sides in Scotland to compete in a semi-pro league with teams from "other unions". Meanwhile, United Rugby Championship chief executive Martin Anayi revealed in April that there was a will to establish a women's edition of the competition.
“Conversations are also ongoing with our colleagues in Ireland and Scotland," Walker said. "They have a similar problem and we all know we need to solve the problem of all of our top players playing in another country. We would hope to be able to solve that problem in the relatively short future.
"[A women's URC] is another option on the table. We’ve talked to the URC and I’ve been in calls with Scotland, Ireland and Wales with the URC about what they might be able to do. There are options."
As for the league in which Wales Women players currently feature, the RFU wants the Premier 15s to become the first fully professional women's club league in the world within 10 years, with £222m set to be invested over the next decade to allow for a "phased increase in player salaries", with revenues of £174m expected as the RFU and clubs pick up the shortfall.
All players are not expected to be able to draw a salary from the league immediately. In 2021-22, the Premier 15s remuneration cap was £120,000 for squads of around 40 players, with some sides offering a part-time salary, some match fees, while others provided expenses and a minority offered no payment at all.
RFU chief operating officer and chief financial officer Sue Day has said the Premier 15s is a league for English clubs but they "remained open-minded" about its growth with the home nations in the future. She said the prospect of a new league elsewhere was "absolutely not a concern", adding: "We want to see all those leagues develop. It is really good for the game if all the home unions are developing women's rugby so the Six Nations is more competitive."
It is hoped that improving the women's pathway in Wales will lead to increased participation — the WRU wants 10,000 women and girls playing the game by 2026 — and ultimately a larger international talent pool.
"We know we need more depth," Walker admits. "We’ve got a very small pool of players to pick from. If you look at England, who have named their World Cup squad, they’ve probably got five or six players who are going to be left behind who would walk straight into our squad. I’m not being rude or dismissive of anybody, it’s just the way things are at the moment and that’s an honest assessment.
"That is why we’re investing, not just in U18s and U20s, but we’re increasing the opportunities for girls - at 12, 13, 14, 15 - to develop their skills. We know the competitive structure is not perfect at the moment, we know we need to pay attention to it, but we’re doing all of those things so in three, four, five or six years you have a continuous supply of quality players, not just at U18 and U20 but at senior, and instead of having 34 players to choose from, hopefully you’ll have 40 and then 50 and then 60. That’s how you build success."
An U18s squad was established for a rugby festival in March and April, and Walker says that programme is continuing, while an U20s team is also being established. "We are in it for the long run and we recognise that we have to have a complete pathway to do that."
Asked whether changes to improve the pathway are being made fast enough, he said: "I think people need to be patient. If I use the word ‘rush’, people will say ‘well you’ve had five or six years’. We have got a number of challenges in front of us. We are addressing those challenges.
"The pathway was one of the things in the [independent women and girls' rugby] review and we have been working consistently over the last few months in order to build a pathway which is sustainable and gives us the best chance of being successful, not just at under-18 and under-20 level but at senior level."
Wales international and former track and field athlete Walker wants every girl in Wales to have the opportunity to play consistent rugby from the moment she picks up a rugby ball, but stresses the development of coaches and facilities, for example, will also play its part in growing women's rugby in Wales.
"We are working on all these things. That’s why I ask people to be patient, you can’t put in place an infrastructure and a system overnight. Overnight in these terms is a year or two. It takes time and it takes even longer for those things that you put in place to begin to bear fruit.
"But all of those things are in view and I’ve got some very good people working with me, I’m working very closely with [community director] Geraint John and his team in the community to make sure it’s a seamless proposition that we present to female players in Wales."
A new WRU deal with Vodafone, who become the founding principal partner of women and girls' rugby in Wales, is set to offer a boost to plans to grow the game.
"Certainly the Vodafone money will come in very useful in finding a solution," Walker added. "A founding principal partner for women’s and girls’ rugby in Wales in Vodafone, that money turbocharges our implementation of the programme we have got.
"It’s a significant sum and it’s a multi-year investment from Vodafone into Welsh rugby. It’s invaluable. I cannot overstate it. It’s the first time it’s happened and we’re delighted."
