The WRU have responded to Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake’s decisions to leave Wales
Morgan and Lake are leaving the Ospreys(Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)
The Welsh Rugby Union have vowed to create the right environment to keep the best players in Wales after Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake’s decisions to sign for Gloucester.
Both Morgan and Lake have today announced they will be leaving the Ospreys at the end of the season to ply their trades in the Gallagher Prem. This will come as a hammer blow for both the Ospreys and Welsh rugby as a whole.
The WRU is currently in the process of restructuring the professional game in Wales and it is their intention to cut the number of professional teams from four to three.
But there is now the very real possibility Wales’ best players will be based in England despite dropping to three professional clubs.
“We are striving to build a world-class system in Wales to maximise the potential for the success of our professional clubs and national teams,” read a WRU statement.
“We want Welsh talent to be at the heart of the system.
“We are, of course, disappointed when players leave the system in Wales.
“But we are also realistic that top-class players will get opportunities to explore new experiences and to challenge themselves as they develop their careers.
“Creating the right environment for Welsh talent in Wales is a fundamental part of the new plans we announced for the Future of Elite Rugby in Wales at the end of October.
“We are at the beginning of that journey and are working with all of the professional clubs to put that new system in place as quickly as possible.
“The WRU has guaranteed all existing player contracts and also written to our regional clubs and the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association to confirm financial support for new signings.
“As we work to create a truly world-class rugby environment in Wales in the next years, we hope that players like Jac and Dewi – and others – will come back to Wales
“We wish them both the very best in the meantime – and we still have them at the heart of our national game from an international perspective.”
The WRU is planning to significantly invest in the pathway while also bringing back a national academy which they hope will produce more and better players.
Both Morgan and Lake will remain eligible to represent Wales despite signing for Gloucester but the controversial 25-cap law is currently under review.
WalesOnline also understands the WRU wrote to the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA) on December 9 to guarantee that it will financially support player contracts.
This means that clubs, once they have agreed the terms with the WRU, will have the ability to issue new contracts for players who are deemed high priority.
The WRU has also offered to contract some players centrally while also guaranteeing they will be allocated to the relevant club.
