Young rules out move for Halfpenny
WASPS have abandoned plans to sign Leigh Halfpenny, citing the Welshman’s ‘indecision’ as the reason why he finds himself without a club weeks before the new season.
“We were keen to get Leigh on board and we tried over a period of months,” Wasps boss Dai Young told
TRP. “But we found it very hard to get a decision out of him. In the end we couldn’t get one. We have moved on.”
Cardiff Blues have finally abandoned hope of re-signing Halfpenny because it would have cost them £10,000a-game, probably more.
Their refusal to renew negotiations is one reason why Europe’s top goalkicker is in the ludicrous position of being without a club since Toulon gave him the order of the boot last month.
Halfpenny’s position prompted the Welsh Rugby Union to ask their regional teams whether they would be interested in bringing
him back to Wales on a dual contract. They all gave the same response: ‘No thanks – unless we get him for nothing.’
Wales and their capital region offered Halfpenny a three-year deal worth £1.2m. Talks had dragged on for more than 12 months, forcing Wales to extend their deadline until after the Six Nations before the player turned it down in favour of another year at Toulon.
As one of Wales’ negotiating team put it, reinforcing Young’s point: “Leigh is a lovely bloke but he’s also one of the world’s most indecisive people. We waited for months and that offer has now fallen by the wayside.
“No matter who the player happens to be, he has to provide value for money. Headline signings are all very well but you always have to ask yourself: ‘Is he worth it?’
“Scarlets haven’t got the money. Neither have the Blues. Ospreys seem happy with their squad and now that the WRU own the Dragons they couldn’t be party to a deal seen as being at the expense of other regions.”
The Blues’ 40 per cent share of the proposed deal amounted to £160,000 a season. They now admit that they could not afford Halfpenny’s wages because of the truncated effect of the Lions tour on appearances during the coming season.
A late start to the season because of the rest period and international demands would mean a player of Halfpenny’s calibre spending a third of the nine-month season on Wales duty. As one coach said: “They’d (the Blues) have been lucky to get more than 12 games out of him over the whole season.”
Blues chairman Peter Thomas said: “We have three fantastic full-backs. They are not Leigh Halfpennys and don’t cost as much, but they have everything going for them. Regional rugby is strapped for cash and we all have to recognise that the game is changing.
“The offer we made jointly with the WRU is no longer there. You cannot wait indefinitely. You have to put plans in place for the coming season and you have to feel for Leigh.”
Scarlets’ chairman Nigel Short has made it clear the champions are not interested unless they get him ‘at no cost.’ That would appear to leave Bath and Northampton the English options, although Saints will be more concerned about securing Dan Biggar once his Ospreys’ contract runs out next June.