At 37 and with 156 record-breaking caps for his country, Alun Wyn Jones probably believed that his toughest battles in rugby were almost over. The secondrow faces perhaps the biggest challenge of his career as he helps to represent colleagues across the Welsh club divide who are considering industrial action in response to the continuing dispute between players and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) regarding a long-term pay agreement.
Wyn Jones has a law degree from Swansea University that is now being put to good use, and he put forward his case during the week on the possibility of the Welsh team striking before the England game this Saturday in Cardiff.
“I suppose it is. It’s hard to deny, but it’s the very last option,” he said.
“We’re fortunate we’re all involved in a sport and a job we love. To fathom the fact we might not do that because of the severity of the situation is very real, but it’s the last thing we want to do.
“There are people who are really impassioned. Ultimately, if you treat people badly for long enough, you get to where we find ourselves.”
An anonymous Wales player who has played both Six Nations games in 2023 painted a desperate picture of Welsh rugby’s finances when quoted in the Daily Mail.
“I can’t apply for a mortgage and I’m on anti-depressants. I’m also one big injury away from not having a job in July, yet I’m starting for Wales every week and the WRU is making tens of millions from international matches.”
The threat of a strike in advance of the England game this weekend remains a live threat, and even if Jones and his international team-mates can find a way to take to the field in Cardiff, huge issues remain with the balance sheet in Welsh rugby.
The four Welsh club teams in the United Rugby Championship have large squads of uncapped players who are nervously wondering whether they are going to be able to afford basic living expenses for their families if no reasonable financial resolution is found.
Without long-term contract security on the table, their livelihood is also at the mercy of a bad injury in the fast and furious club calendar. Across the boardroom table, the WRU is seemingly looking at an increasingly threadbare purse that is unable to pay the same salaries as before.
There is hope that in the short term, Jones and his team of senior players can find enough common ground with interim WRU chief executive Nigel Walker to keep the lights flickering for the time being. Just how long they can keep the meter running on Welsh professional rugby is anybody’s guess.
New rules down under
The first round of Super Rugby Pacific takes place this Friday in Sydney, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand with a suite of new law innovations designed to make the game a more entertaining spectacle for fans watching both in the ground and on television.
Referees will enforce time limits of 90 seconds on conversions, 60 seconds for penalty kicks, 30 seconds for scrums and lineouts to be set, and five seconds for the ball to be used at rucks, while TMOs will only interrupt play for serious, clear and obvious incidents of foul play.
Rugby union faces stiff competition for fans not only in Australia, but increasingly in New Zealand. The National Rugby League (NRL) has largely successfully utilised their $2 million a year “bunker” review system that enables a team of officials to analyse serious incidents during a game while play continues, allowing the on-field referee to focus on the continuity of the game, and not stop the flow of the game.
Super Rugby Pacific does not nearly have the financial clout of its 13-player code rival at the NRL to create a similar “bunker” set-up, but is at least trying to create a more visually appealing spectacle through their law innovations. In theory they are simple and effective, but whether they work to create a more fluid and flowing game will need to be seen.
Dane’s fight for recovery
Ulster and Ireland scrumhalf Kathryn Dane revealed that she suffered from a brain haemorrhage at Ireland training before Christmas. The Old Belvedere player, who is a physio in Dublin, posted on social media: “I hope to make a full recovery and return to work and rugby, but it will take some time. For now I will be Ireland’s biggest fan.”
Dane was a talented footballer and represented Northern Ireland Under-17s in the Uefa Elite Championships, before focusing on rugby where she has gone on to win 23 caps for Ireland. In November the Fermanagh native was one of 29 players fully contracted by the IRFU.
Everyone connected with Irish rugby at every level will be wishing the talented scrumhalf a full recovery.
Quote of the week
“It’s good to see Gregor Townsend [Scotland’s head coach] in the crowd tonight. He must be here to see John Cooney coming off the bench.” – Former British and Irish Lion Stephen Ferris joked on Viaplay Sports during Ulster’s URC defeat against Glasgow about scrumhalf Cooney, who becomes eligible to play for Scotland from February 23rd despite winning 11 Irish caps.
Number of the week: 1
Ireland and Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan signed his first central IRFU contract, which will run to the end of the 2025-2026 season. Keenan also becomes the first player to come from the IRFU’s sevens program and receive a central contract in 15s. Keenan played sevens for Ireland from 2017 until 2019.
