The Six Nations could see some major disruption this weekend, with reports that the Wales players are planning to go on strike for the match against England on Saturday.
The situation has arisen over a disagreement regarding players' contracts, with the proposal for players' contracts to be 20% bonus related seemingly being the final straw. Wales Online report that there will be crunch talks throughout the day on Wednesday, with a meeting at the Vale Hotel this morning followed by a virtual 'Town Hall' meeting this afternoon for all professional players in Wales conducted by the Professional Rugby Board as a resolution is sought.
This will be attended by players representing the four Welsh regions, as well as those who play for the national team, with those who represent Wales being centrally contracted the the Welsh Rugby Union. This means that stars such as Alun Wyn Jones and George North could end up striking instead of playing England this weekend's Six Nations match. Yesterday's team announcement way delayed fuelling further speculation that a strike was imminent.
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The situation is complicated, with the Welsh governing body under immense pressure at present due to a succession of problems, with the BBC reporting historical allegations of institutional sexism earlier this year. Wales Online has also outlined the issues facing the union across the board, with accusations of mismanagement in addition to the bullying, sexism and harassment scandal.
Wales have started their Six Nations campaign poorly under returning head coach Warren Gatland, with heavy defeats to Ireland and Scotland to underline the issues faced at present and a strike would trigger an all out crisis in the union. It would not be a popular move, with the local Cardiff economy set to be hit hugely by any potential cancellation of the fixture.
Alun Wyn Jones spoke out last week, outlining the players' reasoning and how hard the decision could be if it happens. "We're fortunate that we're all involved in a sport and a job we love," he said. "To fathom the fact we might not do that because of the severity of the situation is very real, but it's the last thing we want to do.
"I can tell you every player wants to play rugby. We're fully aware of the privilege that we have, whether that be regional or international, but we can't be under the guillotine and be used in the emotive side of things when ultimately this is a career and a job.
"Again, being caught in the middle and held to ransom at times on other people's issues, with the same people in the region who have issued these contracts now being the ones to try and get out of it, it's hard to fathom, having been involved in the game for such a long time."
When asked if the threat of potential strike action was real, he said: "I suppose it is. It's hard to deny, but it's the very last option. There are people who are really impassioned.
"Ultimately, if you treat people badly for long enough, you get to where we find ourselves. Again, we realise what we do and how fortunate we are to do it, but if this was any other line of work or any other industry for this period of time with this amount of uncertainty, you'd get the same reaction.
"We're very respectful to society as a whole. But it comes to a point now where the game in Wales has to make a decision in which way it wants to go."
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