The traffic out of Wales could become heavy this summer as regions tighten their financial belts and certain players decide that maybe accepting potentially significant pay cuts isn’t such a great idea.
Will Rowlands and Max Llewellyn look to be definitely leaving, with the former bound for Racing 92 and Llewellyn heading for Gloucester. Others are set to weigh up their futures as well. In a World Cup year, that’s far from ideal.
Some might have those calls made for them as the Welsh professional sides look to reduce their spending. And all the while there is a temporary block on recruiting and retaining players at the regions.
Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets will be able to offer conditional contracts in the new year, but given the challenging financial environment in which the teams are working, some players may be told they could face pay cuts of 50 percent.
No-one knows the exact number of players who’ll be out of contract in Wales this summer. But if we say they could fill a couple of luxury coaches and still there might be a few individuals standing outside, we probably wouldn’t be far wide of the mark. Anyway, here are some of the biggest names who might just have calls to make early in 2023:
Nicky Smith (Ospreys)
Here’s an interesting one to start. Smith has been in the form of his career, strong in the scrum and impactful around the field.
The Ospreys should want to keep Smith. They have Gareth Thomas under lock and key until 2025, but strength in depth remains key and especially in the front row. Smith has given the Ospreys superb value for money in recent seasons and at 28 he is in his prime.
But the grapevine suggests there’s interest from England in a player who mystifyingly spent most of the Wayne Pivac era on the Wales fringes. You’d have to say it would be a surprise were there not interest in Smith. A big call awaits.
Gareth Anscombe (Ospreys)
WalesOnline revealed in June that Anscombe was pondering a move abroad after the 2023 World Cup, with France and Japan among his likeliest destinations.
Watch this space. Pau were recently said to be in “advanced contact” with the 31-year-old Wales fly-half as he heads towards the end of his Ospreys deal, with the French club’s No. 10 Zack Henry bound for Stade Francais.
No sooner had newspaper vendors shouted out “read all about it” than Racing 92 were being linked with the former Cardiff player. There again, the Parisians seem to be linked with anyone or anybody who plays rugby nowadays.
Whatever, it seems fair to say there is significant interest from the Top 14 in Anscombe. Currently sidelined by injury, he’ll hope his time on the sidelines will not drag on.
But he’s a class act who is capable of making any side he plays for look better.
Ross Moriarty (Dragons)
Then Dragons’ boss Dean Ryan described Stade Francais’ reported interest in Moriarty earlier this year as "fantasy rugby", pointing out that he was under contract at the time. But he becomes a free agent at the end of this season and the likelihood is speculation will mount over his future again, with the hard-hitting back rower not short of admirers.
It is understood there’s already interest in him from across Europe and beyond, albeit he has yet to make a firm call on where he will end up playing. He needs six more Wales appearances to avoid falling foul of the 60-cap selection rule on exiled players ahead of the World Cup. Not featuring during the autumn hasn’t helped him on that point, but with Josh Navidi still sidelined by injury, the assumption is Warren Gatland would want Moriarty to stick around and supply the grit that every back-row pool needs.
Presumably, the Dragons would not want to see their squad weakened by his departure, too. The stakes are not low, then.
Ryan Elias (Scarlets)
This one is a worry for the Scarlets. While the west Walians have always prided themselves on their conveyor belt of hookers, they would not want to lose homegrown product Elias with Ken Owens in the autumn of his playing career.
At 27, Elias is hitting his peak years. But Racing 92 — them again — are believed to be willing to pay him a king’s ransom to head for Paris at a time when he is unhappy about the pay band that he’s been placed in by the Welsh Rugby Union. There are also said to be would-be suitors in England.
The uncertainty over player contracts at the regions is another factor that potentially doesn’t help the cause of keeping Elias in Wales. Warren Gatland might hope the 60-cap rule may persuade the west Walian to stay put. Any call could also depend on Elias' willingness to travel and his family circumstances. But right now his future looks very much up in the air.
Jac Morgan (Ospreys)
One of the hottest properties in Welsh rugby right now will probably want to stay in Wales, with his Test career starting to take off and a World Cup on the horizon.
Moving beyond the regional scene would leave him ineligible to play for his country as he is well short of the 60 caps exiled players need to have to continue to don the red jersey.
But clubs in England and France are reportedly watching his situation. There is no doubt the Ospreys will want to hold onto Morgan and, after settling so well, the back rower will be in no hurry to leave.
However, Welsh rugby has created a mess of a situation over finance and that has worried a lot of players. The sooner it’s sorted out the better.
Rhys Webb (Ospreys)
Webb is 34 and has been playing well. He feels he has unfinished business with Wales and it will be fascinating to see how Warren Gatland views the matter. But on form grounds alone it would be hard for anyone to argue he hasn’t been one of the top three scrum-halves on the regional scene this term. For the Ospreys, he has been a leader who shone on days when it has been difficult to deliver.
Gatland’s Six Nations selection will indicate whether Webb has a Test future or not. If he fails to make the cut, it could influence whether he opts to stay in Welsh rugby.
There is said to be interest from England, France and Japan, but Webb has never played in a World Cup and presumably would be in no hurry to blow his last chance should Gatland signal that he sees him as part of his plans. All should become a shade clear over the coming month.
Dillon Lewis (Cardiff)
Gloucester are already believed to have signed Max Llewellyn, and they are also reckoned to be on the trail of the centre’s Cardiff team-mate Dillon Lewis.
Lewis has had a fine season, shining for his club and producing some good form for Wales during the last two international campaigns. His work around the field is widely seen as outstanding and in the November Tests he fronted up in the scrums.
Other English clubs are also said to have been impressed. Again, the 60-cap rule might influence his decision on whether to stay at the Arms Park, with Lewis 15 Test appearances short of the threshold. It is also not clear whether he’d fancy a move outside Wales, but he seems likely to have that choice.
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