Jonah Holmes’ Wales career looks to be over with the winger having joined English Championship club Ealing Trailfinders following his departure from the Dragons.
The seven-cap three-quarter turned down an elite 38 contract offer from the Welsh Rugby Union after failing in his appeal against the wage he was designated. That meant the Dragons would have had to cover his whole salary rather than just 20 per cent of it, which is the case with the elite 38 group.
They were not in a position to do that, so Holmes has opted to head over the border. As a result, he will no longer be eligible to play for Wales under the WRU's 60-cap rule. With his 30th birthday coming up in July, it looks as though his international days are ended.
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England-born Holmes, who qualified for the Welsh national team through his grandparents, made his Test debut against Tonga in November 2018, with his first start coming in the Six Nations clash with Italy the following February, while he joined the Dragons from Leicester in the summer of 2020. His last cap came versus Argentina in July of last year. Since then, he has been overlooked by Wayne Pivac, not featuring in the Welsh squad.
In all, he made 31 appearances for the Dragons, scoring 14 tries. Now he is about to embark on a new challenge with Ealing, who won the English Championship this season but were denied promotion to the Premiership due to their ground capacity.
While born in Stockport, Holmes was actually raised in Ealing, playing his junior rugby for London Scottish, before spells with Wasps, Rosslyn Park, Henley Hawks, London Welsh, Yorkshire Carnegie and then Leicester.
Speaking about his move, he said: "I consider myself double lucky because not only will I be part of the big things happening at Ealing, but I’ll also get the chance to play in my hometown. I’ve been at some great clubs around the UK, but Ealing has always been home for me and over the next few years I’m going to try to deliver some of my best rugby."
Ben Ward, director of rugby, said: "This is a significant signing for our club and highlights our determination to compete at the very top of English rugby. Jonah is an exceptional professional, his playing record is elite and he arrives at Trailfinders with high ambitions and a strong desire to play a major part in our push for the Premiership."
