WRU boss Nigel Walker has defended the decision to ban young Joe Hawkins from playing for Wales at the World Cup and explained the reasons why the controversial call was made.
The gifted 20-year-old, one of the brightest talents in the Welsh game and Warren Gatland's first-choice No.12 in the Six Nations, finds himself an international outcast after moving from the Ospreys to English powerhouses Exeter Chiefs.
Hawkins says he was "significantly underpaid" at the Ospreys, but finds himself in the Wales wilderness because he falls well short of the WRU's 25-cap rule. That is the number required for anyone not playing for one of the four regions to be eligible for Wales.
