Alun Wyn Jones REFUSES to rule out a Welsh player strike for the Six Nations clash with England

Alun Wyn Jones has refused to rule out the possibility of a Welsh player strike for next Saturday’s Six Nations clash with England after contractual chaos engulfed the country’s game.

Sportsmail revealed Wales’ players were considering the option because large numbers of players at the four regions are currently unable to be offered new deals.

With the Welsh game in crisis, Wales head coach Warren Gatland and the world’s record cap holder Jones held a crunch press conference at their Vale of Glamorgan hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff.

Asked if a player strike was possible, Jones said: ‘I suppose it is. It’s hard to deny, but it’s the very last option. There are people who are really impassioned.

‘Ultimately, if you treat people badly for long enough, you get to where we find ourselves. Again, we realise what we do and how fortunate we are to do it, but if this was any other line of work or any other industry for this period of time with this amount of uncertainty, you’d get the same reaction. 

Sportsmail revealed on Monday that players are pondering strike action ahead of the match

‘We’re very respectful to society as a whole. But it comes to a point now where the game in Wales has to make a decision which way it wants to go.’

The Welsh Rugby Union has been unable to come to an official agreement with its four regions – Dragons, Cardiff, Ospreys and Scarlets – over how much central funding they will be given beyond the end of the current season. 

Sportsmail revealed the toll of contract uncertainty led one Wales player to take antidepressants. 

Another was refused a mortgage offer. On Wednesday, Wales’ Six Nations squad held showdown talks with WRU interim chief executive Nigel Walker where they made three main demands:

• Scrap the 60-cap rule that restricts players from playing domestic rugby outside of Wales unless they have that number of caps.

• Remove the fixed-variable element from contracts, which account for 20 per cent of salaries under the proposed system.

• Give players a seat at the table of Professional Rugby Board meetings.

Wales’ players then walked out of a sponsorship dinner in Cardiff after the starter course to make a stand against the WRU top brass. 

If the players’ demands are not met by next Wednesday – just three days before the England game – then a strike will be considered.

A senior Wales player told Sportsmail ‘it has to happen.’ Asked what would happen if the WRU didn’t meet the player demands, the player said: ‘I’ll leave that up to you.’

Jones urged the WRU, the regions, and the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association to come to a resolution immediately for the good of the country’s national game.

‘It’s about protecting the game to ensure it goes well for generations to come,’ said Jones, who spoke passionately about the future of the Welsh game.

It comes at a time when those who are out of contract at the end of the season aren’t able to be offered new deals amid uncertainty over future regional squad budgets in Wales

Wales coach Warren Gatland said he wouldn’t support a strike by players for the England game

‘We have to sort this out now. We can’t go back into this cycle of uncertainty because it’s not helping.’

Gatland said he was still preparing for the England game to go ahead and that he would not support a player strike. 

But he did hit out at the WRPA as ‘incredibly weak.’ ‘We understand the frustration of the players that things haven’t been sorted out between the union and the regions,’ Gatland said.

‘I am a complete supporter of the players in terms of the WRPA which to me in my time here has been incredibly weak as an organisation. I have stressed on a number of occasions to the players that they need to be stronger, they need to have more voice.

‘I am sure the players like us would like things resolved as quickly as possible. These things have been going on for a long time. But all I can focus on is concentrating on preparing for the game. That stuff is out of my remit. I am just planning for England next week.’

Asked if Wales’ players would have his support if they wanted to strike, Gatland said: ‘No. I completely support the stance they are taking in terms of wanting to get some resolution about the issues they have. But I think there are a lot of things at stake in terms of ensuring that fixture does take place. I am supportive of the players and the things they are trying to do.’

The WRPA said on Thursday its ‘players have had enough’ amid the ongoing uncertainty caused by Welsh rugby’s professional contracts freeze. Around 90 players in Wales will be unemployed at the end of the current season unless a resolution can be agreed.

They are also unhappy about the contract proposals which are being put on the table and will offer a basic salary topped up with possible bonuses based on match appearances and win fees.

There is an acceptance among Welsh players that pay cuts are inevitable as the game still feels the pinch in the wake of the pandemic, but it is certainty they want.

Welsh rugby’s professional rugby board chair said on Wednesday ‘the cold facts are that the WRU and clubs have been paying salaries that their businesses cannot afford.’

That’s despite current salaries being agreed in the past by the WRU and the regions.

The Welsh Rugby Players’ Association say that ‘players have had enough’ amid the ongoing uncertainty caused by Welsh rugby’s professional contracts freeze

The WRPA said on Thursday: ‘The WRPA is extremely disappointed at the publishing of a statement by PRB and the way it portrays the players within Wales.

‘No players’ futures are guaranteed. This is having a profound effect on players, especially those out of contract, and is placing unacceptable strain on mental health and overall wellbeing.

‘Strike action is something that we wish to see avoided as a players union and our members want to be taking the field as they always have, but clearly the anxiety caused by the situation is now affecting the lives and profession of players.

‘Players have had enough. This is not a game of Championship Manager.’