Mega rich French club Racing 92 have joined the race to sign Wales lock Will Rowlands.
The 31-year-old has an offer on the table from Bath, but Racing have now entered the fray and are prepared to pull out all the stops to get their man. Dragons RFC are powerless to stop Rowlands from leaving Welsh rugby as they don't know their playing budget for next season. Rowlands has not put pen to paper on any deal yet, but he is one of the most sought-after players on the market and has a big decision to make over his future.
Wales performance director Nigel Walker took to Twitter on Tuesday night insisting Rowlands had been offered a contract to stay at the Dragons. Wales Online has spoken to several sources who claim Rowlands had declined a contract that was offered a long time ago before the current financial hiatus in Welsh rugby which prohibits the regions from signing players. Rowlands was unhappy with the salary band he was put in and appealed. The same sources are adamant the Dragons are unable to put a new offer on the table for next season until a funding deal is signed by the WRU and its four professional sides.
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If the contract embargo is lifted the Dragons may be able to table a deal which could compete with Bath who are operating under a strict £5million salary cap. But Racing 92 are financially in a different stratosphere to both clubs and are one of wealthiest sides in world rugby.
If Rowlands decides to leave Wales the starting date of his new contract will be crucial to his hopes of representing Wales at the Rugby World Cup in France next autumn.
By the letter of the law if he is contracted outside of Wales when the tournament kicks off, he will be ineligible to play under the WRU's 60 cap law. A deal is very close to being signed off between the WRU and the regions, but the Dragons cannot offer Rowlands a new contract until that point.
There are other players throughout the four regions who are in a similar boat with clubs in England, France, and Japan looking to take advantage of the problems engulfing Welsh rugby.
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