Faletau ‘always playing for Wales’
TODD Blackadder says Taulupe Faletau was always going to play for Wales outside the autumn Test match window, even if it leads to Bath Rugby being sanctioned by Premiership Rugby.
The star No.8 signed from Newport Gwent Dragons in the summer of 2016 on the proviso he would be released for all of Wales’ Test matches.
That has happened this week as the Springboks visit the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and Faletau prepares to win his 70th cap.
As Premiership Rugby’s policy is for non-England internationals not to be released outside designated international windows – in this case the final three weekends of November – an independent panel of three is expected to be appointed to decide on a punishment for Bath.
The most likely outcome is a fine – as was the case for Northampton Saints in 2013 when they released George North for Wales duty – but a points deduction is also an option.
Bath director of rugby Blackadder said: “It’s something we agreed to. We stand by that.
“It’s a real grey area, but it’s something that we knew all about.
“It really doesn’t change what I do. My job is to prepare the team to go down there and do their best against Exeter.
“I’m just focussing on the controllables.”
Amid the ongoing debate about how the global season for clubs and countries should look in the future, it appears Blackadder would like to see a structure which separates club competitions, rather than overlaps them.
In the southern hemisphere they play the Super Rugby season then the domestic cup competitions are played while the international players compete in The Rugby Championship between New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
He added: “We’ve just played four games without our internationals. That’s not ideal in any competition.
“One of the things I see in the southern hemisphere is they’ve tried to change it so they can play their competitions through.
“We dabble in four competitions as well as our internationals and it can be very murky. The cleaner the better, that’s how I see it.”