Welsh rugby's downward spiral

Players and Hansen: United in training, divided on pay

The row at the start of a key international tour which left WRU officials sitting by themselves on an empty bus has done nothing to help halt the downward spiral of Welsh rugby.

According to a top Welsh rugby correspondent, Wales was now an even bigger "laughing stock" on the international rugby scene.

The several hours' delay while players and officials haggled meant that the whole party missed a flight to New Zealand and were forced to spend an extra expensive night at a Heathrow hotel, adding yet more to the WRU's crushing £66 million debt burden.

Two weeks ago officials were confident that problems with win bonus payments and insurance had been ironed out after a series of meetings with its international players.

But on Monday the whole deal unravelled in a blaze of publicity when the players staged an impromptu meeting at an M4 service station, leaving officials fuming in an empty bus back at the team hotel in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Missed the flight: Players pay for a hotel out of their own poicket

The row was only resolved when former Wales captain Scott Quinnell, Chairman of the Welsh Professional Players Association, helped to negotiate a deal with WRU group Chief Executive David Moffett.

The players rejoined the party, but after a desperate dash down the M4 missed their 1600 connection at Heathrow.

Paul Rees, rugby writer for the Guardian newspaper, said that players were being exploited as "piggies in the middle" in the central contracts row between the WRU and the newly-restructured five provincial teams system, which comes into play next season.

'Half-cock system'

The new provincial clubs have the players under contract, which can then be topped up by their international earnings. They also pay the insurance premiums on their players.

However, if a player is injured on international duty, he loses the prospect of these extra earnings and the club insurance cover would not guarantee the same level of income.

"Players are seriously disadvantaged by this system which is in fact a conflict between club and country, " said Paul Rees.

"It is a half-cock system with the WRU still pressing to go for central contracts and attempting to undermine the new system.

Hansen told a press conference the cash row had ben solved

"Wales, because of the results in the field in the last few years, has become an international laughing stock and are no longer in the top rank of international rugby.

"This latest pay row has made it even worse."

The party flies out to New Zealand at 1615 BST on Tuesday, but a day late and missing a day's training at the start of the key tour to Australia and New Zealand.

The Welsh rugby players have paid for their own accommodation at the hotel by Heathrow last night but the total cost to the Union because of the delay will be £2,500.

This includes the bills for the coaching staff, transfer of the plane tickets and an extra charge for the bus they are using.

At a Heathrow press conference hours before their flight, Wales coach Steve Hansen said the money issue had been resolved with an agreement which takes the players through to the end of next year's Royal Bank of Scotland Six Nations Championship.

But no price can be placed on the possible loss of morale amongst the team and feelings of trust and confidence between them and the management, not to mention the fans who saw the team beat by the Barbarians on Saturday, their seventh defeat in a row.