London (AFP) - Support appeared to be growing Wednesday for a possible strike by Wales rugby players that could threaten next week's Six Nations clash against England in Cardiff.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and the regions have yet to agree in writing a new long-term financial agreement, sparking fears that players whose current deals expire at the end of the season will leave the Welsh game.
Recruitment is on hold, with next season's playing budgets not yet finalised at Wales' four professional teams -- Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets.
A Daily Mail report on Tuesday said players were considering industrial action amid the contract crisis within Welsh rugby.
The "60-cap rule", established in 2017, means players who are based with clubs outside of Wales are deemed ineligible for selection unless they have won 60 or more caps.
Wales coach Warren Gatland, returning for his second spell in charge, has questioned the worth of the rule.
It would deprive Wales of lock Will Rowlands -- who is set to join Paris side Racing 92 -- at this year's World Cup in France unless the second row receives special dispensation from the Welsh game's professional board.
A statement issued by WRU interim chief executive Nigel Walker said he had met with senior Wales players on Wednesday to "further clarify the position".
While a verbal agreement exists, the lack of a formal written deal has long been a source of anxiety, with former Wales international Walker insisting the WRU had "absolute empathy" with the players.
'Not an ideal situation'
The 59-year-old, while promising to act as "swiftly as possible", added: "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...If that means taking time to do so then that is the way it must be."
Malcolm Wall, the chairman of the national Professional Rugby Board, which oversees contract negotiations, said Welsh players and clubs had to face financial reality, for all Wales internationals at Cardiff's Principality Stadium often produce sell-out crowds of over 74,000.
"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," Wall said.
He added that under the new framework the average salary of a Welsh professional player would be £100,000 ($120,000, 113,000 euros), with the PRB confident the proposed salary packages were "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," insisted Wall.
Asked about going on strike, Ospreys lock Bradley Davies, who won the last of his 66 caps in 2019, said earlier Wednesday: "If we had to strike and that was the decision everyone made, then fair enough.But it is the last, last option."
One Wales player, described as a Six Nations squad member, told the Daily Mail: "I can't believe I'm five months away from the end of my contract and eight months away from the World Cup and my future isn't certain yet."
Reports of a strike threat come at a time of turmoil for Welsh rugby both on and off the field.
Last month, then-WRU chief executive Steve Phillips resigned after a BBC documentary made allegations of sexism at the governing body.
Wales -- scheduled to face England a week on Saturday in Cardiff -- are currently bottom of the Six Nations table after defeats by Ireland and Scotland in their opening two games, including a record 35-7 loss in Edinburgh last weekend.
