Andrew’s Law

As with pretty much everything else in Welsh rugby, Gatland’s Law is one of those painfully divisive subjects. I’ve had conversations with all manner of fans and it always evokes strong feelings, whatever their views are.

However, whether you staunchly believe the ‘Law’ is an enforced cap on the young men’s ability to earn money and gain valuable life experience, or see it as an unfortunate necessity of the modern game, it’s likely you see some flaws in the current system.

Allow me to set out my stall briefly. I’m approaching this argument from a slightly biased standpoint, in that I want to see a successful Welsh team but not at the expense of the professional club/regional game – I’m a Wales fan, but Cardiff rugby is in the blood. Also, while having a strong Wales is the ultimate aim, without a good club game you have no foundations on which to build.

If it were a choice between the current version of Gatland’s Law vs no law whatsoever, then the current system narrowly wins. The Law has a number of huge flaws, some of which I hope to address below, but in my opinion we can’t afford to go back to how things were 5 years ago with the yearly exodus of our very best players.

In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need a law at all, but at the moment that’s a long way off. What I would propose would be a fairer rule, one that works for both the player and the business which has developed them.

Letting Them Leave - It’s not fair for the club and counter-productive

Breeding young players is expensive. These days, Welsh academies are as competitive and professional as any in the world. Every aspiring Jamie Roberts now receives the very best coaching, conditioning and education rugby can offer. Yet, for every Leigh or Sam who comes through the system, there’s a vast number who don’t make it.

Then there’s the gamble element. Danny Wilson is under huge pressure to get results, indeed his own personal income relies on it, so why gamble on a young inexperienced and unfinished player when he could buy a foreigner who is ready to go right now? What’s the incentive for Danny Wilson to gamble on a young player? If he wants to build a competitive squad that will be competitive in future, how do you achieve it when every time a player becomes good enough, he leaves earn more money elsewhere? Therefore, there’s very little reason to gamble on up and coming players over established names, and that can’t be good for Team Wales.

Critics would argue that you must create an environment that players want to be a part of and buy into, but unfortunately that will never be enough when the disparity in salary is so massive. Plus, how do you build a successful team when you have so many departures of key players? Therefore, for me, the additional carrot of international rugby  in a necessary evil.

Andrew’s Law - The changes I’d make in a nutshell

1. The hard and fast rule remains the same: you have to play in Wales, to play for Wales. However, you can earn the right to move abroad through either club or international caps. For argument's sake, let’s say 125 club/regional appearances (incidentally, the same number 25-year old Josh Navidi currently has) or 60 international caps (Dan Lydiate, 28, is currently on 57).
   
   I don’t think players should be financially punished for wanting to further themselves or make the most of their lives, but there needs to be something which helps to safeguard the club from losing top talent before they have reaped the rewards of their own efforts.

2. Additional Feeder Clubs. The Welsh Premiership is a decent ground for aspiring players, but it’s a considerable step down from Pro 12. More importantly, it doesn’t offer these young men any new life experience outside of ‘little Wales’. So why not give them the option of moving abroad before they break into the regions?
   
   Top football clubs send dozens of players out on loan every year - Chelsea have 38 this season! Most of those are youngsters who are getting first team football in a competitive environment and often in foreign countries. Many top sides even have ‘feeder clubs’, a club with whom they have a good relationship, where they send a couple of youngsters a season, with agreements in place that they will get regular game time and their rugby education will continue to a high standard.
   
   This gives them a view of life outside the goldfish bowl, an entire season of high-level rugby and they hopefully return better players to their clubs. It’s a win-win situation.

3. Allow Sabbaticals. If a national player really is keen to see more of the world, further their education, or just have a break from Wales, then offer 1 year sabbaticals but only during the year following a World Cup. God knows they would probably need a break from international rugby, plus it forces the national coach to find alternatives to their top stars during that season. To clarify, by agreeing to a sabbatical, the player would take a year out to play for a new side, but in doing so also agree to add an additional year onto their current regional side’s contract.

4. The Wildcard. Alternatively, start signing young players up for long term contracts (5-6 years), where their salary increase is based on predetermined criteria - such as club appearance milestones, international honours, meeting strength/training targets, etc. That way, a transfer fee must be paid if a big club want to lure a player away, or a free transfer can be offered if a club want to allow a player to leave.
   
   Being financially compensated for losing top talent at least allows you to reinvest that money on a replacement which won’t hit the squad quite as hard.

Ultimately, we all want the same thing here. A successful club and national game in Wales. We don’t want to punish these guys for being ambitious, but it’s not fair to have a situation where clubs continually develop some of the best players in the world, but don’t reap the rewards.

I’m sure this will article will draw strong feelings from supporters on both sides of the fence, but given the current situation, it’s a conversation we all need to have.