1. september 2015 • xtratime • 45
battle in May’s European Rugby Cham-
pions Cup final and many punters re-
main frustrated that England will enter
a home World Cup without two of their
most potent weapons.
The exodus of players from Wales
has continued in recent times but per-
haps surprisingly it is the West Country
that has been the chosen destination
lately, rather than the South of France.
James Hook, Richard Hibbard and
Ryan Jones all made the small hop across
the Severn Bridge and Bath made a
high-profile bid to sign Newport Gwent
Dragons’ Toby Faletau during summer,
although Gatland’s position on the mat-
ter has left the number eight in limbo
with a year to run on his contract.
MONEY TALKS
One man well placed to judge the issue
is ex-Welsh international and current
Worcester Academy coach Ceri Jones,
who spent the majority of his career in
England in the colours of Harlequins.
“It’s difficult really because Lancaster
has the ideal situation, where his best
players play in England, yet if players like
George Ford and Owen Farrell decided to
go and play in France at the same time,
you would imagine he would change that
policy,” said twice-capped Jones. “For Gat-
land, unfortunately his best players often
play outside Wales and he can’t afford to
leave the likes of George North out.
“There is also the financial side of it.
There isn’t as much money in Wales to
compete with clubs in France and Eng-
land, and I believe the WRU could do
more to help, not just from the regions
but also the Premiership sides.
“I guess you suffer playing outside of
Wales to a degree because you are out of
the limelight,” he added. “For me, it was
difficult because I was competing with
top players such as Gethin Jenkins and
Duncan Jones, both of whom stayed in
Wales. However, I think moving to Bath
may be good for Faletau because of the
competitiveness of the Premiership.”
One thing is for certain, with the
World Cup a matter of days away and
England and Wales on a collision course
in Pool A on September 26, rugby fans
will soon find out whose selection policy
reaps the ultimate reward. jon davies
A
s World Cup fever starts to en-
velope the British Isles, all 20 com-
peting nations are finalising their
preparations for what promises to be the
most openly-contested event in the tour-
nament’s 28-year history.
England and Wales head into it with
one solitary aim – to be crowned cham-
pions at Twickenham on the evening of
Saturday, October 31.
However, two nations that have
been so evenly matched on the field over
recent years have head coaches with
very different views on international
selection. While Stuart Lancaster has re-
iterated his selection stance of not se-
lecting players who play their club rugby
outside of England – a controversial
movegiventheformofFrench-basedplay-
ers such as Steffon Armitage and Nick
Abendanon – counterpart Warren Gat-
land uses a different option due to the
recent regional exodus of some of Wales’
most high-profile internationals.
Key players George North, Jamie Rob-
erts and Leigh Halfpenny are among
those currently playing their club rugby
outside Wales and Gatland and his coach-
es can ill-afford to leave out such proven
performers on the basis of rugby politics.
With the exodus of stars leaving
Wales for France and England gaining
momentum in recent years, the Welsh
Rugby Union reacted by providing na-
tional dual contracts to current regional
players. The contracts are split between
the WRU and the four regions, with the
former paying 60 per cent of a player’s
salary and the region making up the
rest. The decision also allows the WRU
to have easy access to their prized assets
for internationals, with Alun Wyn Jones,
Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar all commit-
ting to such deals.
LOUD AND CLEAR
Lancaster’s message to English players is
much clearer: Leave England and you will
not be considered for selection.
His stance has certainly benefited
the Aviva Premiership, which continues
to go from strength to strength, but has
also caused some disappointment for
England fans. Armitage and ex-Bath ace
Abendanon lined up on opposite sides
when Toulon and Clermont Auvergne did
With England and Wales preparing to lock horns at the Rugby World Cup,
XtraTime takes a look at the contrasting selection policies adopted by
the countries’ respective head coaches and the key role they could play
GraemeTruby/Pinnacle
Wales number eight Toby Faletau