ALL professional rugby players in Wales have been summoned to a critical meeting to address concerns over contracts that have put the upcoming Wales v England match in jeopardy of being cancelled.
The Welsh Rugby Players’ Association has deemed attendance at the “Town Hall” meeting with representatives from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Professional Rugby Board (PRB) to be “imperative”.
Trust between the three major stakeholders – the WRU, regions and players – has deteriorated, threatening the future of Welsh rugby.
The PRB will hold discussions in central Cardiff prior to the meeting with players to determine what can be proposed to resolve the contract issue, as well as how a new funding agreement for the game can be agreed upon to lift the contract freeze.
The 60-cap law is also up for discussion and, while players are pushing for its removal, a compromise of 25 caps is reportedly being considered.
The most contentious issue is the fixed-variable nature of the new contracts being offered to players, with players refusing to accept 20% of their salaries becoming bonus-related.
Many players are unhappy with the lack of investment in the professional game, and there is little trust between the stakeholders, making compromise difficult.
The Wales team has not been announced and training has been cancelled due to the uncertainty.
Head coach Warren Gatland had expressed confidence that a compromise would be reached by the end of Tuesday, but a meeting held that afternoon reportedly failed to produce a resolution.
The fate of the Wales v England match, worth almost £10 million to the WRU, hangs in the balance, but the long-term future of Welsh rugby is also at stake.
