Gatland calls on Cuthbert to stay

WARREN GATLAND hopes Alex Cuthbert will stay in Wales after revealing how close he came to walking out on his country.

The Cardiff Blues wing, right, is a free agent this summer and turned down a national dual contract last year after a loss of form and off- fi eld controversy .

Wales coach Gatland said: “There was a period when he wanted to leave Wales . The way social media is , you get battered and guys can fall out of love with the game.”

Cuthbert is set to start for Wales this week and Gatland hopes he will turn down interest from England and France. Gatland said: “We want all our players to remain in or come back to Wales. We believe it is better for them .”