Leicestertinytiger wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:40 pm
Well Welsh players in the past have still managed successful careers in the premiership like Biggar, Francis, Tompkins, LRZ etc. so no reason the club couldn’t be clever and arrange something similar.
Sadly, it is not what the club wants that counts, or even the player necessarily. If Tommy keeps up with the man of the match appearances, the WRFU will want all the PR and promotion for them and the regions by announcing his signing and promoting the strength of Welsh rugby by being able to attact such talent.
I cannot say that England were any better when fending off the threat from French clubs but it is sad that players have to chose between club and national aspirations.
I suppose it's hard to think of a England player who came up through the system of another country and had to leave that club to play for England?
Brad Shields maybe but he wanted out of NZ anyway.
In terms of development you have to wonder is it really worth it if a player has intentions to play for Wales?
RagingBull wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 2:00 pm
I suppose it's hard to think of a England player who came up through the system of another country and had to leave that club to play for England?
Brad Shields maybe but he wanted out of NZ anyway.
In terms of development you have to wonder is it really worth it if a player has intentions to play for Wales?
There are a few examples of players who I suspect stayed in England and declined other opportunities to maintain an international career or players like Stefan Armitage who, arguably would have had a reasonable England career if he had not gone to France.
Perhaps Wales need to make an exception for players that have made use of and benefitted from another Country's development programme otherwise the time will come where clubs will not look to develop Welsh talent through their academy systems if they are going to lose these players when it is time to reap the rewards for the effort put in.
With MVS leaving I think that would leave a nice chunk of cash to secure Reffell for a lengthy period, once named in the Wales squad alarm bells must have been ringing to get him signed up.
baz1664 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 3:31 pm
With MVS leaving I think that would leave a nice chunk of cash to secure Reffell for a lengthy period, once named in the Wales squad alarm bells must have been ringing to get him signed up.
You would hope so with everything indicating a desire to stay and the first Welsh cap over the Summer being almost guaranteed you would hope that there was a signature before he even got on the flight to SA. The only flies in the ointment would be if we had spent up to cap (surely we had a contingency in place as this day was pretty inevitable) or either party do not see their futures being together.
Anyway, hoping for a nice announcement after the tour is over as to do it before would make that the focus over the match.
What would be an approx salary comparison between staying at Tigers v earnings at a Welsh club/Country?
Would there be a vast difference in favour of Wales
Incidentally didn't Underhill have to move from Wales to England?
LE18 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 4:23 pm
What would be an approx salary comparison between staying at Tigers v earnings at a Welsh club/Country?
Would there be a vast difference in favour of Wales
Incidentally didn't Underhill have to move from Wales to England?
Given WRU's funding issues I'd guess a contract with the regions might even see Reffell earn slightly less than he could at Tigers given his level of performance. Especially with van Staden now moving on.
Match fees for Wales players are £5,500 these days. Far less than England but not to be sniffed at. That's a potential £27.5k in a Six Nations before considering the image rights etc that international rugby will bring.
LE18 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 4:23 pm
What would be an approx salary comparison between staying at Tigers v earnings at a Welsh club/Country?
Would there be a vast difference in favour of Wales
Incidentally didn't Underhill have to move from Wales to England?
He debuted against Argentina in the summer tour 2017 when he had signed for Bath for the start of the 2017 season, so maybe technically wasn't playing in the prem but was signed for a prem club for the upcoming season.
RagingBull wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2022 2:00 pm
I suppose it's hard to think of a England player who came up through the system of another country and had to leave that club to play for England?
Brad Shields maybe but he wanted out of NZ anyway.
In terms of development you have to wonder is it really worth it if a player has intentions to play for Wales?
I guess that if all this is correct then that blows the 60 cap rule for new players out of the water. If this sets a valid precedent then all clubs need to do it set up a similar rolling contract for up and coming Welsh tallent and the 60 cap or must play in Wales rule is out the window.
Part of me wonders whether this is a deliberate move by the WRFU to back down without losing face.
GB72 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 29, 2022 1:49 pm
I guess that if all this is correct then that blows the 60 cap rule for new players out of the water. If this sets a valid precedent then all clubs need to do it set up a similar rolling contract for up and coming Welsh tallent and the 60 cap or must play in Wales rule is out the window.
Part of me wonders whether this is a deliberate move by the WRFU to back down without losing face.
It's not the first time this has been done. Exeter did it with Francis who stayed there for six years after being capped.
GB72 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 29, 2022 1:49 pm
I guess that if all this is correct then that blows the 60 cap rule for new players out of the water. If this sets a valid precedent then all clubs need to do it set up a similar rolling contract for up and coming Welsh tallent and the 60 cap or must play in Wales rule is out the window.
Part of me wonders whether this is a deliberate move by the WRFU to back down without losing face.
We're not the first to do these rolling contracts, think LRZ for example is on one at Glaws..
For me this will still achieve the Welsh aims of retaining their talent, because a capped player at a region can't up sticks and move to England, but where a English club (other club nationalities are available) has brought on a player e.g. Reffell, so long as we sort the contract out before that cap, we can get it sorted.
Now with Reffell I suspect that the club could have seen this coming and may have had one of these contracts oven ready if he got called up. In some instances e.g. a more surprise selection just a week or two before a player gets capped may not give clubs time to put one of these in place.
Used to run around with an 11, 14 or 15 on my back.
Would hate to see him go, but national duties - no matter how fiddly the stipulations may be - will always be in a player's mind if they have those ambitions.
Used to play rugby. Kind of a Poundland Cipriani? Yeah, I'll go with that.
