Rugby ace Jamie Roberts blasts Wales’ ‘outrageous’ 60 cap selection rule
Rugby ace Jamie Roberts has taken aim at Wales “outrageous” 60 cap selection rule.
The 35-year-old centre, who has 94 caps for Wales criticised the Welsh Rugby Union’s policy in his upcoming autobiography, ‘Centre Stage: My Life in Rugby’.
The cap quota, which was introduced in October 2017, was designed to encourage young players to remain with one of the country’s four regions.
However those with 60 caps are still eligible to play for their country even if based at a club outside Wales.
But Roberts, who has plied his trade in both hemispheres, doesn’t think that an athlete’s international career can be determined by the country where they play club rugby. He believes it crushes people’s sense of adventure.
He said: “It absolutely breaks me. Who are the WRU to deny players that opportunity and basically blackmail them for the Welsh jersey?
“I hate the thought of a young Welsh player having the chance to experience rugby in France or England and being afraid to do it because he’s not then allowed to play for his country. I think it’s absolutely berserk.”
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Jamie is a bit conflicted here considering that he also writes that it was Harlequins he can never forgive for pulling the plug on his Wales careeer by refusing to honour a written agreement. He has spent too much time in England and now wants the penny and the bun.
Play for Wales or play for Harlequins he couldn’t do both so why advise youngsters to try?
A professional is entitled to earn the best living they can where they can without being punished for it. Would we tell doctors or teachers for example that they shouldnt work outside wales? and that if they do theyll be punished for it in some way 😡. And it wreaks of hypocrisy on the part of the wru that if a rugby player earns their living outside wales they’ll be denied the opportunity to play for their country – but the last two coaches theyve employed are from new zealand 🤔
They know the rule and if their first loyalty is to someone other than Wales that is their choice. Nobody dictates where they play just that to play for Wales they must follow WRU rules.
Nobody has a right to play for the nation,or would you have had the boys who went “north” come back just for Union internationals?
You right he know the rules before he went
With Jamie Roberts on this. Is it really right of the wru to dictate to professional sports people where they can earn a living? In what other profession are people told where they can work? Also puzzling that while a welsh rugby player wont be selected to play for their country if they earn a living outside wales our last two coaches have come from new zealand 🤔
Not a fan of Tory Boy Roberts but he is right on this one, we are being stymied on the International stage with this policy as we are unable to field our best team.
Like it or not the rule has brought back Tomas Francis, WillGriff John, George North, Jonah Holmes, Ross Moriarty, Rhys Priestland, Josh Adams and about 15 or so “prodigal sons” have also returned to strengthen regions. I will give three or four regulars one game a year off for that sort of return.
What a stupid rule we are far to small a country to make rules that stop our young players playing for Wales