OSPREYS' FOREIGN LEGION WARNING
from http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/displ ... K=12654661
The Ospreys today warned the Welsh Rugby Union: ''Enforce your rules on overseas players or we will not rest our Wales and Lions stars early in the new season.'' The region insist they are not going to start the campaign with their leading lights in the stand while other regions field teams loaded with foreign imports.
Wales have requested that Lions players be rested until October and that national squad personnel return on the first weekend in September or a fortnight later in a couple of cases.
But the Ospreys fear such a scenario could leave them hugely disadvantaged.
They point out that they have cut their overseas contingent to just two, complying with the union's wishes, and so do not have the top-line cover compared to some of their rivals.
By contrast, the Scarlets have eight players who are ineligible to play for Wales.
A serious row is brewing but the Ospreys are determined they are not going to pay the price for sticking within the rules.
''We have been assured by David Moffett, David Pickering and Steve Lewis, three of the most senior figures in the Welsh Rugby Union, that no region will be allowed to carry more than two players who are ineligible for Wales,'' said joint managing director Mike Cuddy.
''That is also in the participation agreement signed by every region.
''On that basis, I can't for the life of me see why others are stockpiling overseas players in their squads when the union are suggesting they will be unable to play them.
''It seems they are just wasting their money bringing them here in the first place.
''We have adhered to the union's requirements by cutting our overseas numbers to two.
''It means that if we rest our Wales and Lions people at the start of the season our squad will be obliterated, but we will not go down that road if others are using all these imported players.
''It is up to the WRU to do something about it or we will assume the participation agreement is null and void.
''We are not going to be disadvantaged and I will play all my Wales players and all my Lions in pre-season unless we get satisfaction on this.
''We raised these matters with the WRU as far back as March and were assured there wouldn't be a problem. We have copies of five or six letters saying as much, but if other regions are being told differently, there is scope for a major problem.''
The union have indicated there might be flexibility on overseas players if a region can show they have a shortage in a certain position and have been unable to recruit within Wales.
But the Ospreys are worried that could tempt their rivals to go for a short-term fix instead of trying to develop youngsters.
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WRU TO PROBE FOREIGN REGIONS
from http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/displ ... K=12659147
David Moffett has ordered an urgent investigation into the number of overseas players joining the Welsh regions.
The move comes just days after Springbok Hottie Louw received clearance to play for the Scarlets and Australian Marc Stcherbina signed for the Blues. Louw's arrival brings the number of imports at Stradey Park to eight, while the Blues now have five foreigners on their books.
The WRU want a maximum of just two non-Welsh qualified players at each region.
Legally, such an objective has to be written into the rugby charter as being two non-European Union-qualified players, but the spirit of the arrangement is that it involves all overseas personnel.
The Ospreys are concerned that the intention of the agreement is being ignored by some of the other regions and have threatened to turn down a national squad request for Wales and Lions players to have an extended pre-season.
Now, WRU chief executive Moffett has intervened, with an instruction for union general manager Steve Lewis to look into the build-up of non-Welsh qualified players at Llanelli and Cardiff.
''I have asked Steve Lewis to give the matter his urgent attention because there are bound to be questions when two regions are sticking to the participation agreement and the other two are seemingly not,'' said Moffett.
''We need to investigate the situation of each player.
''When we drew up the rugby charter and the participation agreement, everybody bought into the concept of restricting the number of overseas players in Wales.
''The aim was to improve Welsh rugby.
''We have to ensure it's a level playing field for all the regions.''
The union could opt to impose penalties on the Scarlets and the Blues but such a course might be questioned in a court of law and would anyway be unlikely to appease the Ospreys, who fear they will start the season disadvantaged because they have only two imports to cover for the absence of Wales and Lions players while their rivals have far more.
They are intent on beginning the campaign with all guns blazing at their new home at Morfa rather than fielding weakened sides against opponents strengthened by overseas players.
The list of imports
SCARLETS: Regan King (New Zealand), Mike Hercus (USA), Hottie Louw (South Africa), Simon Easterby (Ireland), Inoke Afeaki (Tonga), Salesi Finau (Tonga), Aisea Havili (Tonga), *Clive Stuart-Smith (England Under-21)
BLUES: Dean Dewdney (Zimbabwe), Kort Schubert (USA), Xavier Rush (New Zealand), Maama Molitika (Tonga), Marc Stcherbina (Australia A)
DRAGONS: Sione Tuipulotu (Tonga)
OSPREYS: Jason Spice (New Zealand A), Stefan Terblanche (South Africa)
*Eligible to play for Wales if he serves out a three-year residence period.
Welsh disharmony!
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