'No room for manoeuvre over contract budgets'

Wales have lost their opening two Six Nations game amid the ongoing off-field concerns

Welsh rugby bosses say there is no room for manoeuvre when it comes to budgets for player contracts.

Interim WRU chief executive Nigel Walker met with senior members of the Wales squad on Wednesday to "further clarify the current position".

The Professional Rugby Board, which handles the professional game in Wales, says salaries have been too high.

A statement released later on Wednesday said that while higher salaries may be on offer at some French and English clubs, the packages on offer to Welsh players are "in line with the UK market".

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The PRB said the average salary of a Welsh professional rugby player under a new, verbally agreed six-year framework would be around £100,000 a year.

A salary cap for the 2024/25 season will be "in line with most competitors", the board says, although the cap for next season, 2023-24, will be higher so that existing contracts are honoured.

Some players at Wales' four professional teams - Scarlets, Dragons, Ospreys and Cardiff - who are out of contract at the end of the current season have been left in limbo by the impasse.

With no formal budgets agreed for the coming seasons, contract discussions have remained on hold.

The PRB includes representatives from each of the four regions, plus acting WRU chief executive Nigel Walker, WRU finance director Tim Moss and two independent members, including chair Malcolm Wall.

'Sustainable footing'

"The new agreement offers a complete funding package to the professional game in Wales, but it does come with financial limitations which will directly affect salary negotiations," said Wall.

"The cold facts are that the WRU and clubs have been paying salaries that their businesses cannot afford, so the new agreement establishes a new framework for contract negotiations.

"There is a stipulation that all current contracts will be honoured, but these businesses must return to a sustainable footing in order for the success we all crave to follow.

"The average salary of a Welsh professional rugby player under the new framework will be around £100k-per-year.

"We are confident that our salary packages are in line with the UK market. The PRB accepts that some better funded English and French clubs are paying more, but this is where we must set the mark of sustainability in Wales."

The PRB said however, that "there is no room for manoeuvre when it comes to the overall budget available for player contracts".

Ospreys lock Bradley Davies says players want "a voice in the way things are run"

Acting WRU chief executive Walker had previously said all player contracts were likely to be completed by the end of February.

"We have absolute empathy with the professional players in Wales and are hugely grateful for all that they do for our national game, just as our regional sides are for the commitment of their players," Walker said on Wednesday following his meeting with members of the Wales squad.

"We know we are not in an ideal situation, but it is incredibly important for the whole game in Wales for us to get this next step right.

"We must get this right and if that means taking time to do so then that is the way it must be.

"Throughout all our negotiations our duty of care to our players in Wales has always been of paramount importance and that is why we have developed a solution around current contracts, which has been in place since the New Year.

"The next step is to confirm the deal and confirm these contracts and we will be moving as swiftly as we possibly can to that point."

'It's not about the money'

Veteran Ospreys lock Bradley Davies had earlier said strike action would be the "last option" amid the ongoing contracts freeze, with Wales due to host England in the Six Nations a week on Saturday, 25 February.

"None of the boys want that," said the 36-year-old, who won the last of his 66 Wales caps at the 2019 World Cup.

"They want Welsh rugby to get better again, they want this to stop and for us to move forward and to compete with other teams and get better.

"It's not to cause a fuss - it's just that boys are playing Test match rugby and regional rugby and they don't know if they've got a job in four months."

Davies said the players' stance was not primarily about financial gain.

"It's not about the money, we're asking for a voice in the way things are run - like player welfare, how many games you play a season, how much contact, mental health," he added.

"Us as players have got zero input in that at the moment.

"We're expected to rock up for work, run into a brick wall and then take our money at the end of the day and then get up Monday and go again."

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth said players "wouldn't be human" if they were not distracted by the ongoing uncertainty.

"The players are absolutely my focus in relation to getting a performance and I'll support them the best that I can," he added.

"And if they feel they have to make a stand, they'll make a stand and I understand that completely."