Today's rugby headlines as uncapped Welshman named among best in England by fellow pros and Holmes to join second tier club

Here are today's rugby headlines on thursday, April 28.

Wales winger Jonah Holmes will leave the Dragons and move to the second tier of English rugby, according to reports.

RugbyPass report Holmes is on the verge of agreeing to joining Ealing Trailfinders after turning down a reduced contract in Wales. The move will end his international career as he is well be short of the 60 caps required to play outside of Wales and still be eligible.

Holmes would have been hoping to make a return to the Gallagher Premiership, where he previously starred for Leicester, but he appears to have struggled to get a deal with the league's new £5m salary cap now in place. Ealing have big ambitions to join the elite and were only denied promotion to the Premiership this year on a technicality.

Seven-times capped Holmes was unhappy with the figure he was offered by the WRU, who decide the salaries of the elite 38 home-based players under their wage banding system.

He lodged an appeal, which was supported by his region, who he joined in 2020, but that was rejected. Players in the elite 38 effectively have 80 per cent of their salaries paid by the Union out of the first tranche of the Professional Rugby Board distribution pot.

With the out-of-contract Holmes not in that group, the Dragons would have to pay all of his wages out of their own playing budget and they were not able to offer him a deal that would keep him on board.

Uncapped Welsh flanker Tommy Reffell has been named among the best players in England this season by his peers.

The abrasive openside from Pencoed has enjoyed a standout campaign with Leicester Tigers, who are bidding for Gallagher Premiership glory over the coming weeks. And, during a podcast featuring Saracens star