Wales face crunch talks over player contracts
WELSH rugby’s system of National Dual Contracts is at an end with the country’s four regions now funding the salaries of their leading internationals alone.
Warren Gatland’s stars hope their future will be made clearer this week when the Welsh Rugby Union and their four regions sit down for crunch talks.
On the table will be the finer details over ‘Project Reset’ and how the Professional Rugby Agreement – the successor to the Rugby Services Agreement – will
look. Among topics will be a controversial new banding system by which Welsh players will be paid as well as regional funding and status.
The Rugby Paper understands there are widespread concerns over the introduction of the banding system from both the leading players and their employers.
The RSA – signed between the WRU and the regions in 2014 – saw NDC’s introduced as a means of keeping Wales’ star men at home.
It was successful as Jonathan Davies and Leigh Halfpenny returned home from France and the now retired Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones stayed in Wales.
Players signed to an NDC in the past saw 60 per cent of their wages funded by the WRU with their region paying the other 40.
That situation has now changed, meaning regions have had to dip further into their budgets to fully fund their best players.
For example, the Ospreys are now paying 100 per cent of the wages of Jones and George North where previously they were paying just 40.
That has led to concerns from regional bosses over the increase in money they are having to dedicate to squad budgets.
The men at the centre of things are also unhappy with the new banding system with some of them believing it will limit their earnings moving forwards.
Those out of contract at the end of the season have concerns given they have had to delay the signing of a new deal while Project Reset is finalised.
“A number of contracts have been offered and verbally agreed and that process has begun,” said Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke. “It’s quite difficult to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s at this time of the season, but that’s where we are with the banding process that Wales is going through.
“The banding system has delayed the process to a degree. It’s caused the playing group some angst which is understandable, particularly for those coming out of contract.
“There has been a period of waiting. We are now in January and players are sitting down to discuss new contracts.”
The stress of not knowing where their future lies and how they will be paid has left Welsh players frustrated.
“I’m out of contract at the end of the World Cup and I’m conscious of that,” said Wales captain Jones. “It (Welsh rugby’s new pay banding system) is affecting all players, irrelevant of experience.”