Gatland slams rugby ‘politics’ after Adams and Francis finally link up with Wales
Warren Gatland has expressed his displeasure at Josh Adams being prevented from joining up with Wales sooner, branding it “a sad indictment on the politics of the game”.
Gatland called up the Worcester wing yesterday for the two Tests against Argentina after Steff Evans was ruled out of the rest of the tour with a knee injury.
Prop Tomas Francis has also been called in by Wales as cover for Samson Lee, who is being treated for a back problem.
The two men were initially named in the squad but axed after Premier Rugby Limited, the body that looks after the interests of England’s topflight clubs, said they weren’t permitted to prepare for Saturday’s win over South Africa.
The Aviva Premiership clubs are not obliged to release their foreign players for activity that happens outside World Rugby’s designated Test windows and Wales’s game against the Boks in Washington fell into that category. Player release is not a new issue — Wales get problems in the autumn when they regularly organise an out-of-window fourth Test, and in the Six Nations, when they have to let players return to their clubs during the fallow weeks.
Those are instances that the Wales boss can understand, but he takes issue with running into similar problems in the summer, especially seeing as Wales are only playing the standard three Tests.
“Everyone else is playing three games — England are playing four — and we finish our tour a week earlier,” said Gatland.
“I understand completely what PRL are trying to do in the autumn when we organise a fourth international. They’re protecting their own competition. Players go back during the Six Nations down weeks and I understand that too.
“I just can’t understand why they would stop players from joining us a week or two early when the season is finished and they’re going to be back with their clubs early, anyway.
“It’s a sad indictment on the politics of the game.
“I understand and accept completely the views on the other stuff, but this one just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Wales head to Argentina for two Test matches against the Pumas, and Adams is likely to be involved in the first game of that trip in San Juan on Saturday. It’s likely to be a step up from the clash against a similarly experimental South Africa side and Gatland will surely call on his Scarlets players, whom he rested for Saturday’s victory following the Guinness PRO14 final last weekend.