14 Welsh players affected by the Senior Player Selection Policy

With the news breaking on Tuesday that the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) will be scrapping their so-called “Gatland’s Law” and introducing a new Senior Player Selection Policy (SPSP), it has left a number of English-based Welsh players with significant decisions to make.

The new policy will mean that any Welsh player playing outside of Wales will not be considered for international selection, unless they have already accrued 60 or more Test caps. This means that the likes of Taulupe Faletau, George North, Luke Charteris and Jamie Roberts can continue to be selected for Wales without any problem.

Players based abroad who do not meet the threshold of caps but who began their current contracts before the policy was created, will also still be considered for selection for the remainder of their contracts. Should they wish to continue representing Wales – and they do not meet the cap threshold – they will, however, have to return to Wales when their current deals expire.

We’ve rounded up the players that will be affected by this change in selection policy and who will have to think very carefully about their futures over the coming months.

Dan Biggar

This shouldn’t be too much of a problem as Biggar, who has agreed to join Northampton Saints next season, already has 56 caps. Barring injury, Biggar should surpass the 60-cap mark early in the Six Nations next year and be fully-eligible to represent Wales when he makes the move to Franklin’s Gardens.

Rhys Webb

Unfortunately for Webb, the SPSP came along just days after he agreed a move to Toulon and having 28 caps to his name, he has no chance of meeting the threshold before he departs the Ospreys.

This will be an interesting story to watch develop, as he could pull out of the deal if the Ospreys and WRU reach a compensation deal with Toulon – much as Castres and Rory Kockott did a few years ago – or Webb could try and argue that as his deal was agreed before the public announcement of the SPSP, his stint at Toulon should be treated like that of any other player playing on contract that began before the SPSP was created.

Ross Moriarty

Moriarty is in the last year of his current deal with Gloucester and has already received multiple proposals from the WRU and regions, as well as significant interest from England and France.

Sources close to the player told RugbyPass that the WRU proposals were in the region of £450k to £525k, but that there were better financial offers on the table from clubs outside of Wales. This policy will undoubtedly come into Moriarty’s thinking, with the young flanker one of the stars of Welsh rugby already and, at 17 caps, a long way off being eligible to play abroad and remain in the national team.

Liam Williams

The versatile back three player made the move to Saracens this summer on a three-year deal. He currently has 43 caps. That said, he has three Six Nations, two sets of November Tests and a Rugby World Cup to go to earn the requisite 60 caps, whilst remaining eligible on a deal signed before the creation of the SPSP.

Tomas Francis

At 23 caps, Francis is another player who will have to consider a move to one of the Welsh regions in the near future. His current deal runs until the end of 2018/19 season, so it is not something he needs to think about immediately but it will be interesting to see whether or not the allure of the red jersey is enough to take him away from reigning Premiership champions, Exeter Chiefs.

Thomas Young

Young got his first tastes of international rugby this year, with Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric away with the British and Irish Lions, and if he wants to further his international experience, he will need to return home at the end of his current deal with Wasps.

The Young scenario will be a good test of the power – and pull – of the SPSP. With so many talented flankers already playing in Wales and seemingly ahead of Young in the international pecking order, will it be enough to tempt him to return to Wales?

Owen Williams

Like Young, Williams made his international bow for Wales this summer and faces a tough pecking order to move up, even if he does choose to move to one of the regions. There is no public confirmation of the length of Williams’ deal at Gloucester, but given that the fly-half only joined the Cherry and Whites this past summer, his deal will almost certainly last until at least the end of the 2018/19 season.

Rhys Priestland

Regarding Priestland’s international career, there felt a fair amount of closure when he agreed to make the move from the Scarlets to Bath.

That said, in the absence of the recently departed George Ford, Priestland has been in excellent form for Bath, pulling the strings and helping their back line tick. He extended his deal with the English club earlier this year and currently has 48 Test caps to his name.

It’s not inconceivable that he reaches the 60 cap mark by the time this deal ends, but with Biggar, Sam Davies and Gareth Anscombe all in the mix, as well as Rhys Patchell impressing for the Scarlets, it seems unlikely.

Mat Protheroe, Jordan Williams, Harry Randall, Luke Hamilton, George Nott and Josh Adams

These uncapped players are all Welsh-born and/or Welsh-qualified and could all have important imminent decisions to make regarding their futures.

Protheroe and Randall have both made a reputation for themselves in the England age-grade sides, as well as Protheroe having an impressive debut season at Bristol.

Williams and Adams are two former age-grade standouts for Wales who are now making their way in senior rugby at Bristol and Worcester Warriors respectively.

Hamilton has started the season well for Leicester Tigers, whilst George Nott is English and played for the England U20s, but is well thought of in Wales, not to mention eligible to pull on the red jersey.

As with the capped players not yet meeting the 60-cap mark, these uncapped players will all also be available to Wales for the life of their current contracts.