Wales' rugby players are considering devastating strike action ahead of the next Six Nations match against England.
One member of the current Wales team has revealed he is on antidepressants amid the anxiety caused by Welsh rugby's freeze on offering players new contracts, which has left a host of stars in limbo.
The shocking accounts of unnamed Wales players, reported in the Daily Mail, highlight the dire situation the Welsh game is facing, with the WRU and four regions still to rubberstamp a new funding deal that would lift the freeze and ease players' fears over their futures. Welsh rugby sources have confirmed to WalesOnline the gravity of the situation.
A meeting will be held between Welsh Rugby Players' Association representatives and players this week, with everything on the table for some players, including potential strike action.
WalesOnline reported as far back as September that a number of players supported the prospect of strike action amid the turmoil, and that anger appears to have now reached a tipping point.
Salaries are set to go down in Welsh rugby over the next couple of seasons under a new deal, with the highest basic wage a player can be offered £280,000 a season. That is considerably lower than the £400,000 figure some top stars currently earn.
One unnamed current Wales player, who has featured in both Wales games in the Six Nations so far, told the Daily Mail: "I can’t believe I’m five months away from the end of my contract and eight months away from the World Cup and my future isn’t certain yet.
"I can’t apply for a mortgage and I’m on antidepressants. I’m also one big injury away from not having a job in July yet I’m starting for Wales every week and the WRU is making tens of millions from international matches."
A Welsh Test player now based in England added: "I never want to come back and play in Wales. I feel so sorry for the boys in the Wales camp. They are constantly stressed discussing the contracting problem. The WRU has blood on its hands if any of the boys get injured."
Another said: "I’ve got a contract next year but I’ve had enough. I want to get out now. I’ve never seen it this bad. All the uncertainty isn’t worth it just to play for Wales."
And yet another unnamed player added: "I’m glad I’m retiring in a few years. It’s a shambles. The lunatics are running the asylum."
Some Welsh players have since gone public with their worries and thanked fans for their reaction: full story here.
Would you support Welsh rugby players taking strike action amid contracts turmoil? Have your say here
The news comes as both Cardiff and the Scarlets insist it is very unlikely their players will be contracted by the end of the month despite acting Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Nigel Walker claiming otherwise.
Cardiff and Wales centre Uilisi Halaholo spoke out on Tuesday evening to highlight the effect it is having.
"It must be nice knowing you can still provide for your kids in about four months," he tweeted.
Walker, who has replaced Steve Phillips as acting CEO, recently expressed his confidence all contracts would be completed by the end of February.
"The heads of terms were signed weeks ago and we're working towards a long-form agreement," Walker told BBC's ScrumV on Sunday night.
"An agreement was given to all the regions to start contract negotiations last Tuesday. We're expecting those to go through to the end of February where all contracts will be signed."
All four regions have a number of players out of contract, and with clubs in England, France, and Japan circling the consequences of not getting a deal done would be catastrophic.
"It's not realistic from where I'm sitting now, no," said Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel when Walker's comments were put to him.
"This could easily change because the situation is changing quickly. We are obviously speaking to the players we want to retain but without any paperwork the contracts aren't done.
"It's obviously frustrating for everyone and the quicker this can get resolved we can plan for next season both regions, players, and staff.
"People forget it's not just a player issue, it's a staff issue. Hopefully over the next few weeks things can get resolved quickly.
"Speaking from my point of view, the players have been fantastic.
"I can't speak highly enough about what they are doing in training and in the environment given what they have to worry about with contracts etc but from a performance perspective it's been very good."
Cardiff director of rugby Dai Young also confirmed the the club aren't in a position to offer new contracts yet.
"We're all getting a little bored of saying 'next week, next week'. It certainly can't be far away," said Young.
"But in Cardiff, I can't speak for the other regions, we're not in a position where I can sit down with any players. I've not had a confirmed budget put in front of me that I can obviously look to speak to players on."
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