Wales rugby team-mates disputed their pay with mixed results

The news that Jonah Holmes is set to leave the Dragons for a move back to England is one that has been a long time coming.

The writing has been on the wall for a while - ever since his pay appeal was turned down by the Welsh Rugby Union. From then on, for Holmes to stay in Wales on the terms he wanted, the Dragons would have had to stump up the full amount, rather than the 20 per cent of his wages that would have been the case when he was part of the elite 38.

Given where we are in the season, and the general uncertainty in Welsh rugby that has led coaches to claim they are still in the dark about their budgets for next season, it's no surprise that Holmes is seemingly set for a move to the English Championship. Even a return to the Gallagher Premiership appears to have proven tough for the former Leicester Tigers back with their new salary cap coming in next season.

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Holmes' situation raises questions over the elite 38 system in Wales. Dragons director of rugby Dean Ryan said this week on the subject: “Attaching funding to people is often a dangerous position because it can inflate markets and raise wages. I have always been an advocate of having more stable funding and not related to who you have got in what squad, but I also recognise in a small country you have to concentrate some of that resource around key individuals.

“So it’s not a one-sentence answer, but I don’t believe attaching money to individuals as a way of getting our funding is the most stable way to move forward. I think more funding should be stable from year to year.”

Previously in Wales, we used to have dual contracts. Under those, 60 per cent of a player’s wage would be paid by the WRU and 40 per cent