BLUES’ LEIGH BID FAILED OVER CONTRACT LENGTH
Blues couldn’t offer Halfpenny the 28 month contract he wanted
See Sport
Cardiff Blues say they were “very, very close” to luring Leigh Halfpenny back home, but are now resigned to him staying in France.
The region have been involved in protracted talks with the Wales and Lions star and his representatives but ultimately the deal appears to have fallen through over the length of his Welsh Rugby Union dual contract.
The Blues have spent months in negotiations, working in tandem with the Union to put a package worth £420,000-a-year on the table.
But, ultimately, they haven’t been able to get their man, with the out-ofcontract full-back set to sign a oneyear extension with Toulon.
The French club’s president, Mourad Boudjellal, is confident the £750,000 deal will be completed within the next fortnight.
For their part, the Blues are now planning for next season without the 69-cap Halfpenny and hoping money might now be freed up for an alternative NDC signing.
“We have accepted that Leigh won’t be re-joining us and are moving on,” said chief executive Richard Holland.
“We haven’t heard anything for a few weeks now.
“The offer is still on the table, but if you don’t hear anything for a while, you come to your own conclusion on it.
“We are not planning for him to come back. Cardiff Blues and the WRU have done all we can.
“It was a cracking offer but we were never going to be able to compete with Toulon financially. If he signs down there, then we wish him well and we move forward.
“We have got some quality players in that position. Matthew Morgan has been outstanding for us, we are looking forward to getting Dan Fish back from injury and we have a real young talent in Rhun Williams.
“These are players that are available to us through the whole season. “You win some, you lose some. “The money can now be spent on bringing other players back on national dual contracts, which will be a positive for Welsh rugby.
“I would still like to think that players like Leigh and Jamie Roberts might come back to Cardiff Blues at some point in the future.” Halfpenny had been looking for a deal which would take him through to the end of the 2019 World Cup and then free him up to play Super Rugby in 2020.
But the WRU were only prepared to offer him a two or three year dual contract, as they didn’t want to set the precedent of players leaving midseason. It seems that stumbling block could not be overcome.
“We were very, very close,” said Holland.
“It’s fallen through, according to Leigh’s representatives, because we weren’t able to offer a 28 month contract.
“I respect the Union’s stance on that. They are entitled to it as 60 per cent funder of his salary. That’s their position. Ours was different but we and they had to align to get it across the line.”
By re-signing with Toulon, Halfpenny will be captured by Gatland’s Law, joining Liam Williams (Saracens), Taulupe Faletau (Bath), George North (Northampton) and Jamie Roberts (Harlequins) in that category.