Wales’ 60-cap rule is outrageous and failing regions should be abandoned for clubs
WELSH rugby legend Jamie Roberts publishes his autobiography ‘Centre Stage’ this week.
The blockbusting centre had a stellar career, which involved a two-year spell with French giants Racing Metro after he had shone so brightly for Wales and the Lions. Here, in day two of our exclusive extracts from the book, Roberts gives his views on the contentious 60-cap ruling which bars players with English or French clubs from appearing for Wales and offers his no-holds-barred verdict on regional rugby.
“There are few things I feel as strongly about in Welsh rugby as the 60-cap rule that was introduced in an attempt to slow the ‘player drain’ to richer rugby countries like England and France.
It didn’t exist when I moved to Paris, but at that point there were a number of us playing on the continent, and others would follow. Luke Charteris, Leigh Halfpenny, Gethin Jenkins, Jonathan Davies, Dan Lydiate, Mike Phillips and myself were among the higher-profile ‘exiles’ looking to expand our horizons.
Panicking about the loss of their prime assets, the WRU declared that moving out of Wales would render you ineligible for international rugby unless you’d won 60 caps or more.
It’s a monumentally short-sighted and reactionary approach. I understand the need to protect your own domestic league, which becomes a less attractive product if its star players are playing elsewhere, but the notion of a ‘player drain’ is little more than fearmongering.
Only the very best players, who’ve proved themselves at the top level, are going to get a lucrative overseas contract. To deny them an opportunity to play abroad is to deny them the joy and adventure that travel brings.
And 60 caps seems an entirely arbitrary number, one that fails to take into account length of service at either domestic or international level. What about those players who’ve sat on the international bench for years or turned out hundreds of times for their region?
Is that not sufficient service to satisfy the bureaucrats?
As a union we can’t complain about not producing legions of confident, outgoing players when we deliberately limit the scope of their horizon. You can’t tar everyone with the same brush, but the Welsh are generally a shy bunch.
Having played in England, where a lot of players come through the public-school system, I’ve witnessed a sizeable gulf between the confidence levels of those players and many of the Welsh boys I’ve played with.
As a nation we’re more cowed, less confident and less inclined to question authority. Insisting players should not be allowed to play outside their own country is only going to exacerbate that.
Who is your employer to tell you that you can’t take those opportunities? It’s insular, narrow-minded and, more importantly, a restriction of trade.
My life and career have been enhanced immeasurably by my experiences outside Wales. I feel I’m more tactically astute having been exposed to different environments, coaches, players and ways of thinking.
I’m a stronger, more rounded bloke as a result, as are many of my colleagues who’ve done the same.
Those benefits can surely only enhance Wales and our national side. In fact, I feel the WRU should encourage players to experience life beyond the country and their comfort zone.
I do understand the rationale behind the counter-argument. Aside from the devaluing of the domestic competition, it’s argued that overseas-based players won’t be looked after the way they are in Wales.
They’ll be treated more like workhorses than racehorses. But while it’s true that Welsh internationals play fewer games for their clubs than their English and French counterparts, I’m yet to be convinced that that directly translates to domestic and international success, or even enhanced player welfare.
While I’m up here on my soapbox, allow me to address another bugbear of mine: regional rugby. It hasn’t worked, and it’s time it was abandoned. The seven years I spent playing outside Wales for grand old clubs with centuries of history made me realise how soulless the regions look and feel in comparison.
We’ve had regional rugby for 20 years, and the number of trophies won by the Welsh teams has been pitifully small. Victories have been isolated incidents rather than longlasting dynasties.
These teams have seen their average gates decrease, while enthusiasm and passion amongst the fans has dwindled.
We’ve reached a tipping point where we either maintain the status quo and watch our domestic scene slide further into ignominy, or we grasp the nettle and reconnect with history.
We should resurrect the old club identities. Bin the Blues, Ospreys, Dragons and Scarlets, and welcome back Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Llanelli.
The game has become unmoored from its foundations and is drifting.
I’d actually argue that the 60-cap rule is weakening regional rugby. The regions now know that their best assets won’t leave because of the threat of losing their international jersey, which allows the clubs to exist in a constant state of mediocrity.
An open market, on the other hand, would drive standards, leading to a different mindset: We might lose this guy, so we’ve got to do our best to keep him.
Believe it or not, from a player’s perspective it’s not all about the money. At present, with no relegation and little threat of players leaving, there’s no incentive to get better. Put simply, there is no jeopardy.
Finishing fourth and missing out on the Champions Cup is often greeted with a shrug of the shoulders.
I know the counter-argument is that allowing your players to go and play elsewhere will weaken the regions further, but with the current restriction on non-english or nonfrench qualified players in their respective leagues, you’d be able to count on the fingers of one hand the number of Welsh players who’d get signed up on big contracts abroad.”
DON’T MISS TOMORROW: THE INSIDE STORY OF WALES’ WORLD CUP WIN OVER ENGLAND, WHAT MADE SAM WARBURTON MAD AND THE SHOCK TEXTS FROM SAM BURGESS