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Gatland responds to Tuesday's called-off Wales team announcement

By PA
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Warren Gatland is confident Wales’ clash with England on Saturday will go ahead and hopes the dispute between his players and the WRU will be resolved on Tuesday. Wales’ players have threatened to go on strike over a contract dispute, placing the Guinness Six Nations showdown in Cardiff in doubt. When asked if he was confident it would go ahead, Gatland said: “Absolutely, yeah.

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“I’m hearing positive things from both sides. I’m confident that with the discussions taking place that it will get resolved today. There have been half a dozen meetings over the last few days or so.”

Gatland postponed Wales’ team announcement – which was due at lunchtime on Tuesday – until Thursday because of the stand-off. When asked if he had been given assurances the round three match at the Principality Stadium would take place, Gatland replied: “Not at the moment.”

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Wales summon historic press conference amid talk of players striking during Six Nations

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    Wales summon historic press conference amid talk of players striking during Six Nations

    Talks between negotiators of a new six-year financial agreement – the professional rugby board – and Welsh professional players had been due to take place on Wednesday. The players want Wales’ minimum 60-cap selection rule for those plying their trade outside the country to be scrapped, a voice at PRB meetings, and a review of proposed fixed-variable contracts.

    Those contracts would guarantee a player only 80 per cent of their salary, with the remaining 20 per cent comprising bonuses, and is the players’ major grievance. No long-form agreement between the WRU and Wales’ four professional regions – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – has yet been agreed in writing, meaning players whose contracts expire at the end of this season currently cannot be offered new deals.

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    Gatland insisted that the dispute could provide additional motivation as Wales look to claim their first win of the Six Nations after suffering comprehensive defeats in their opening two fixtures against Ireland and Scotland. It is the first time in 16 years that Wales have lost their first two championship games, while three defeats from the start last happened during their 2003 Six Nations campaign under head coach Steve Hansen.

    “Hopefully everyone will turn up on Thursday raring to go on Saturday. It’s been a bit of a challenge but sometimes that galvanises people and brings them together,” he said. “In fairness to the players, at training this morning they put their training heads on and trained well. We had a good week last week in terms of working the players incredibly hard and they responded well to that.

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    “There are big things going on, we are aware of that, but we are pleased with how they have trained. Discussions are taking place today and hopefully, the players will be happy with the outcome. Things will hopefully get resolved today and we can just focus on the game on Saturday.”

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    Comments

    2 Comments
    C
    Chris 883 days ago

    England will be licking their lips, incredibly distracted team. Fired Pivac for what? Losing narrowly to Australia who btw ran Ireland and France very close.

    A
    AC 884 days ago

    It's beyond absurd that the WRU is in this position. If I have my data correct they bring in the same or maybe a bit more than the IRFU. No one is paying to see the board members or a fancy hotel. We pay to see the players and the players should be getting paid.


    I'm an England supporter, I really want to see the match played on Saturday but I 100% support the Welsh players if they feel they need to strike to send the proper message.

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    S
    Soliloquin 2 hours ago
    Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

    I don’t know the financial story behind the changes that were implemented, but I guess clubs started to lose money, Mourad Boudjellal won it all with Toulon, got tired and wanted to invest in football , the French national team was at its lowest with the QF humiliation in 2015 and the FFR needed to transform the model where no French talent could thrive. Interestingly enough, the JIFF rule came in during the 2009/2010 season, so before the Toulon dynasty, but it was only 40% of the players that to be from trained in French academies. But the crops came a few years later, when they passed it at the current level of 70%.

    Again, I’m not a huge fan of under 18 players being scouted and signed. I’d rather have French clubs create sub-academies in French territories like Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and other places that are culturally closer to RU and geographically closer to rugby lands. Mauvaka, Moefana, Taofifenua bros, Tolofua bros, Falatea - they all came to mainland after starting their rugby adventure back home.

    They’re French, they come from economically struggling areas, and rugby can help locally, instead of lumping foreign talents.

    And even though many national teams benefit from their players training and playing in France, there are cases where they could avoid trying to get them in the French national team (Tatafu).

    In other cases, I feel less shame when the country doesn’t believe in the player like in Meafou’s case.

    And there are players that never consider switching to the French national team like Niniashvili, Merckler or even Capuozzo, who is French and doesn’t really speak Italian.

    We’ll see with Jacques Willis 🥲


    But hey, it’s nothing new to Australia and NZ with PI!

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