Toulon confident of landing ace Webb

TOULON appear increasingly confident they will succeed in prising Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb away from the Ospreys.

The respected rugby newspaper Midi Olympique suggests the Lions Test scrum-half is on the point of committing to the former European champions. They had been linked with Bordeaux’s Yann Lesgourgues, but now their full focus seems to be on Webb.

Toulon head coach Fabien Galthie is said to want the 28-year-old Webb, who featured in two Tests for the Lions against New Zealand in the summer, to join a scrum-half pool that already includes Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Eric Escande and youngster Anthony Meric.

The Cote d’Azur oufit have already signed up New Zealand centre Malakai Fekitoa and Fiji winger Semi Radradra as they look to reassert themselves at the top of European rugby.

The confidence that Webb will join a squad that includes Ma’a Nonu, Mathieu Bastareaud, Guilhem Guirad, JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana will concern those in Wales who want to see him stay put.

That said, the Welsh Rugby Union and the Ospreys are still set to have a shot at persuading the Bridgend product that his future lies at home. He is set to enter into talks with the governing body after he returns home from South Africa, where he is part of the Ospreys squad playing a Guinness PRO14 encounter against the Cheetahs.

Those discussions are expected to take place next week.

It could be argued that after a decade of service for the Ospreys, Webb has more than earned his right to sample something else.

But the Welsh region would hardly want to lose somone of his quality and the WRU wouldn’t be elated, either, especially given the potential complications that would come into play under the governing body’s senior players selection policy.

With Dan Biggar leaving for Northampton at the end of the season, and Liam Williams, George North, Jamie Roberts, Taulupe Faletau and Rhys Priestland based outside Wales as well, there would be a concern that Warren Gatland might find a number of high-quality players out of reach heading towards a World Cup year.

Maybe the lure of playing in a first World Cup could yet influence Webb. But he missed the last one because of injury and at the back of his mind might be the possibility that such a misfortune might strike him again.