Booth leads the charge for Wales prop Francis
THE Ospreys are set to swoop for Wales tight-head Tomas Francis, according to reports.
The Rugby Paper claims that Toby Booth’s side are leading the charge for the experienced front-rower, who is set to fall foul of Wales’s 60-cap rule next summer.
Francis’s new contract with Exeter is set to kick in next summer and it is believed he will be left stranded on 59 caps if he features in every Test match between now and then.
If that scenario transpires, he will have to leave Sandy Park and join a Welsh region if he is to preserve his international career.
Francis missed the start of this year’s Six Nations campaign after injuring his shoulder on Wales duty at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
His representative says this, coupled with a global pandemic, represents exceptional circumstances and has called for the Welsh Rugby Union to make an exception.
But it should come as no surprise if the WRU decide to dig their heels in on this, as they have done in the past.
Francis may well be playing domestic rugby in Wales for the first time next season and reports suggest the Liberty Stadium could be his home.
The Rugby Paper also reports that Gloucester are poised to make a move for Wales fly-half Jarrod Evans if he decides to leave the Arms Park.
The Cardiff Blues playmaker’s contract is up at the end of the season, but Evans leaving Wales would represent a huge shock as it would see him sacrifice his Wales ambitions in the short term.
He did not feature in Wales’s squad this autumn but he is on the radar, turning in some eyecatching performances during the international window.
The paper says other English Premiership clubs are also keen on Evans.