19 February 2023 , 13:58
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Wales stars have been warned they could bring the sport of rugby into disrepute if they choose to strike for next week's Six Nations clash against England.
Welsh rugby is in disarray due to a contract freeze with the under-fire governing body and the four regions, which has left players fearing for their futures. With the Welsh Rugby Union yet to seal a new funding deal with the country's regional sides that would lift the freeze, the uncertainty surrounding the players at the moment has caused them to reach breaking point.
Earlier this week, The Mail reported Warren Gatland's squad and the rest of the professional players in Wales will attend an emergency meeting this week to discuss strike action. Now the same publication has written that interim WRU CEO Nigel Walker told the players the sport will suffer significant ramifications if they opted to sit out the match against England.
To be exact, the governing body would lose around £9million in revenue if the game is called off. With the game due to be broadcast live on BBC, the penalty will likely increase if the mega TV channel are forced to pull the match from their coverage. Walker is said to have delivered the message in a meeting at the team’s training base in the Vale of Glamorgan.
With approximately 90 Wales-based players out of contact at the end of the season, the players are understood to have outlined three demands to Walker. They read: “Scrap the 60-cap rule that restricts players from playing domestic rugby outside of Wales and also featuring at international level unless they have that number of Test appearances.
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“Remove the fixed-variable element from contracts, which account for 20 percent of salaries under the proposed system. Give players a seat at the table of Professional Rugby Board meetings.” Some of the proposed salaries start at a base level of £30,000 and coach Gatland acknowledged that pay cheques will continue to take a hit off the back of losses suffered during the pandemic, while urging the powers that be to quickly come to an adequate solution.
“I don’t know why you can’t just lock yourselves in a room for 48 or 72 hours and come out with a solution,” said Gatland. “Everyone’s got to compromise, there’s always compromise somewhere. You’ve got successful business people, you’ve got intelligent people, well find a solution and do it quickly.
“I don’t know why things have gone on for so long but we’re seeing the result of it now because the negotiations have been ongoing for too long. I come from a country when you're in a bit of a crisis, you get everyone in a room and you sort it out within 24 hours. The strength of New Zealand Rugby has always been the ability to change and change incredibly quickly.
Wales Rugby are rooted to the bottom of the Six Nations table after two heavy losses (©INPHO/Ben Brady)“Probably the hamstring of Welsh rugby is that change is like a slow train trying to go somewhere. To effect change in Wales is time consuming. As an organisation we need to be a lot better at change.”
The contract chaos is said to be proving a huge distraction for Wales players, who have made the worst possible start to the Six Nations with heavy defeats to Ireland and Scotland leaving them bottom of the table.
One Welsh star, who has featured in both of the crushing losses, told the 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."