Just wondering- in hope more than expectation- if Will's move to Wales has been confirmed rather than a widely circulated rumour?
It's just been reported that Welsh Lock Jake Ball is to retire from International rugby to spend more time with his family in Australia. With A.W. Jones not getting any younger, Wayne Pivac is going to be desperate for quality second row players, can't help wondering if the "balance of power" has shifted. It's all very well for the Welsh RFU to insist on players playing their rugby in Wales if they want to represent the country, but that only works if the nation is successful which they very much were under Gatland. Not so much now. If the best Welsh qualified locks decide not to play in Wales, can Pivac really afford not to pick them? Could we see the so-called Gatland's law quietly abandoned? Or perhaps "modified" to 10 caps rather than 60 before you can play elsewhere. On present form, Wales will be fighting it out for the Six Nations wooden spoon with Italy and that's with their first choice locks.
Will has now played against the Dragons- where I believe it is rumoured he is heading- and experienced Rodney Parade. It may have history but- no offence to The Dragons- the Ricoh Arena it is not. He may be Welsh qualified but he is also an Englishman who'd be playing in Wales with all the "banter" that will entail (For "banter" read hostility). He's also presently playing exciting rugby for the team who finished second in the Premiership last season, the Dragons rarely bother the top of the Pro14, would he really want to go there?
As I say, this is not based on anything concrete, just looking at how things stand and hope that Will is going to reconsider leaving and hold his nerve for the Welsh RFU to realise that they need him more than he needs them.