Warren Gatland has revealed that a threat of possible player strike action before Wales’s Six Nations game against England caused “quite a significant split” and “tension” within his squad.
Wales head to Rome for a Six Nations assignment against Italy on Saturday after losing their opening three games. Another defeat could mean a first Six Nations wooden spoon for 20 years, given that Wales’s final fixture is against France in Paris.
A crushing contractual and financial backdrop has engulfed Welsh regional rugby, with all four professional teams – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – facing major funding cuts, leading to vastly reduced contract offers for many players whose deals expire at the end of this season.
A player exodus appears inevitable. Along with thorny subjects such as Wales’s former 60-cap national selection rule and fixed-variable contracts, off-field problems led to the prospect of a players’ strike before England’s Cardiff visit last month.