When news broke on Monday that Warren Gatland would be returning to coach Wales following the sacking of Wayne Pivac the majority of the Welsh rugby public rejoiced.
After all, Gatland is arguably the most successful Wales coach of all time having won three Six Nations Grand Slams and reached two Rugby World Cup semi-finals during his previous 12-year stint in charge of the national side. There are some things the experienced New Zealander will be able to fix with ease but there are other matters above his head which will have to be resolved to give Gatland a fair opportunity to maximise the potential of this Wales squad.
One issue Gatland, the Welsh Rugby Union and the four regions are faced with is what to do with the much-maligned 60 cap law. Should it be scrapped entirely allowing Welsh players to ply their trade wherever they wish and still remain eligible for the national side?
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That's the argument which is always screamed the loudest on social media but for a number of reasons, which we'll get on to in a bit, it's not a feasible option. There is a misconception surrounding the 60 cap law. Most of its critics are people who have no love for the regional game and are only interested in the national side, with the law allegedly damaging Wales' chances of success at test level.
Total rubbish. The law was never brought in to benefit the regions it was enacted to increase preparation time for the national side, giving the Wales coach greater access to his players. Imagine half the Wales squad were playing their club rugby in England and France then a large chunk of the players would only be available for 25% of training sessions as a result of PRL and the LNR's strict player release rule. There is an argument that players would develop better at clubs such as Exeter Chiefs or Leicester Tigers and that is a valid point, but the need for greater preparation time outweighs it.
That being said the 60 cap law does need to be looked at in detail because the current financial climate in professional rugby will undoubtedly lead to wages being aggressively pushed down in Wales as they have been in England. Welsh rugby has to slash its wage bill to survive which is the harsh reality of where professional rugby is currently at in the United Kingdom with clubs over the bridge operating at a strict £5million salary cap while both Wasps and Worcester Warriors recently went to the wall.
But what needs to be scrapped before they start meddling with the 60 cap law is the national squad 38 system where the Welsh Rugby Union contribute 80 per cent of a players salary with the region making up the further 20 per cent. It sounds sensible on first hearing it but what it's done in reality is push up the wages of the top players in Wales. This system is unsustainable because the WRU have set the wages of the players in the NS38 which has driven up the cost of the remaining Welsh talent.
The 60 cap law should be lowered to 40 caps allowing the higher earners at the regions to move on if they get offered mega bucks outside of Wales. You would then retain a core group of younger players on affordable wages putting Welsh rugby on a more stable financial footing.
But won't losing the likes of Liam Williams, Taulupe Faletau, and Justin Tipuric make the regions even more uncompetitive? Well, they are missing for large chunks of the season, and will hardly play for them next term due to the Rugby World Cup so it's unlikely to have a dramatic effect on their performances one way or another. Far better to load their squad with younger international players and to invest in top class overseas stars who, injury permitting, will be available throughout the whole season and will not only help improve performances on the field but aid in the development of young up and coming Welsh talent in the same way Xavier Rush had an influence on a young Sam Warburton.
Do you think the 60 cap rule needs to be changed? Have your say in the comments section below.
This will give Gatland optimum access to the majority of Wales' talent while also allowing those players who are in the 50-60 cap mark to cash in outside of the country while still remaining eligible for test duty.
There is an argument that the law should be relaxed for the World Cup with Will Rowlands' recent situation used as an example. Rowlands has recently signed a contract with French giants Racing 92 which could make him ineligible for next autumn's World Cup, although the PRB could vote to grant him special dispensation due to the freeze on offering new contracts in Welsh rugby.
Rowlands was offered a new contract in August 2021 which he turned down before appealing his pay band which was rejected by the PRB. The financial impasse in Welsh rugby prevented the Dragons and the WRU from offering improved terms with Rowlands opting to move to France from next season.
While the absence of Rowlands, who currently has 23 caps, in Wales' World Cup squad would damage their on-field prospects there is a bigger picture to consider with various sources telling Wales Online that other players have kept offers from overseas at arms length to keep alive their chances of playing for Wales. If you bend the law for Rowlands you have to do it for everyone else and voting on one player would be unfair on others.
Welsh rugby faces an uncertain future even with the return of a world class operator like Gatland but one thing which is certain is significant changes have to be made or it won't matter who coaches the national side.
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