Exeter's Joe Hawkins sought for potential URC and Wales return
Cardiff are keeping tabs on Exeter Chiefs inside centre Joe Hawkins and are keen on taking him back to South Wales for a move that would allow him to kick start his international, which stalled with his move to Devon.
Swansea-born Hawkins, 22, scored one try in 28 appearances for his hometown club, the Ospreys, after making his Pro 14 debut in a 23-17 defeat against Zebra in Parma in November 2020.
Hawkins, who played once at fly-half for Wales in an Under-20 defeat to their Italian counterparts in the Under-20 Six Nations Championship in March 2022, won five senior caps. The last was also against the Azzurri a year later.
His move to Sandy Park in May 2023 was highly controversial. It sparked a war of words and forced him out of Warren Gatland’s World Cup squad because he had won less than the required 25 games for players playing outside Wales.
Unlike his Chiefs team-mates Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza, who are eligible for international selection as they joined the Chiefs before winning their first caps, he was forced to place his international ambitions on hold.
Hawkins signed a heads-of-terms contract with Exeter before winning his first cap, so he did not meet the requirements of the Welsh Rugby Union and the PRB.
He even went as far as releasing a statement stating that he held an academy contract, which was understood to be worth around £ 20,000 a year when he decided to move to the Premiership.
"I have spent the last few years playing professional rugby and later international rugby. I have been held to an 'academy contract' - being significantly underpaid.”
Hawkins has since admitted that he wants to play for Wales again, and Gatland admits: “I’d love to have him involved. Despite what everyone says when it was the 60-cap rule, that it was 'Gatland's Law', I was never in favour of it.
"It was something that was pushed hard by the regions in terms of having that implemented,” he added, and a move to the Arms Park would allow Hawkins to again pull on an international shirt.
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Nah, France just don’t have the traditions of touring and therefore don’t place the same importance to it as most other nations, so this compromise is sensible for them. Secondly, the clubs are privately owned and the FFR has precisely ZERO chance of ordering them around. Not individually and not a cat in hell’s chance collectively. Thirdly, the other leagues just don’t have the same latent opportunity for rugby to dominate as it does in southern france - it’s the no.1 sport for that sizeable portion of their population.
In simple terms: French rugby is unique. They do it their way, and they always will. Just because their model, culture and decisions are different and don’t suit others doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Or that they will change…
Go to commentsHe did the damage in the NZ series. New Zealanders throwing toys out of the pram is a compliment in many ways.
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