Ahead of Wales’ inaugural Nations Championship match against Fiji, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has reached a last-minute agreement with the senior national team after a dispute over contracts and match fees emerged on Wednesday afternoon.
Wales players were seen around the Vale Resort on a training day, not in kit, but will be back to normal tomorrow. Two players were scheduled for media duties, but their press conferences were cancelled after a heavy delay due to ongoing negotiations. Players left at separate times whilst head coach Steve Tandy was pacing around the outside of the main hotel on a phone call.
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Almost two hours later, the likes of Wales captain Dewi Lake, Cardiff’s Josh Adams, Dragons’ Aaron Wainwright, Scarlets’ Ryan Elias, and Gloucester-bound player Jac Morgan, to name a few, were all in a meeting. Then, minutes later, it was revealed that they had reached a satisfactory agreement with the WRU.
In a joint statement from the WRU and WRPA, it said: “Media access was postponed today due to ongoing negotiations between WRU representatives and the Welsh Rugby Players Association around employment terms for the new Nations Championship competition.
“These negotiations have now been concluded to the satisfaction of all parties. Training preparations for the upcoming match against Fiji at the Cardiff City Stadium have not been affected.
“Everyone involved is looking forward to a positive result on Saturday and a successful campaign.’
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