Gareth Anscombe is left facing huge decision following the outcome of his WRU pay system appeal

Reports emerging from Wales claim that Gareth Anscombe has lost his appeal against the wage band he was placed in under the new pay system introduced by the Professional Rugby Board.

A walesonline.com report has stated that the Welsh Rugby Union appeals panel heard Anscombe’s appeal last Friday but agreed with the verdict of the PRB which restricted the Six Nations Grand Slam winner to an offer of no more than £350,000 a year.

Managed by former Wales lock Derwyn Jones, the 27-year-old was last month vocal in expresssing his unhappiness about the upheaval behind the scenes at the WRU over the new pay bands which have been introduced in an effort to curb wage inflation at the regions.

Having guided Wales to the 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam as Warren Gatland’s starting No10, the Super Rugby winner with the Hamilton-based Chiefs had appealed the WRU’s decision on the grounds that players who have represented the Lions were capable of earning more than him despite his status in the current pecking order.

The Welsh media website is reporting that the terms offered to Anscombe is highest wage he can earn in the pay band he was placed in by Cardiff, his current team, and Ospreys, the other Welsh region who are interested in him.

The New Zealand-born playmaker, who can double-up at out-half or full-back, has been linked with a number of clubs in England and France, prospective deals that would likely earn Anscombe way more than his current salary.

Anscombe is believed to want to play his club rugby as a regular No10, but the Blues have muddied the waters by often picking him at full-back due to the emergence of promising youngster Jarrod Evans.

Ospreys have offered him a Welsh-based way out of his current situation, without the extra cash he is seeking.

Anscombe’s national dual contract with the WRU and Cardiff expires in June and he would be ineligible for the World Cup in Japan if he signed a contract to leave Wales before the finals because he doesn’t have the 60 caps exiles require to be picked.