Last week, WalesOnline published two transfer stories linking both the Ospreys and Scarlets with senior international players from the Southern Hemisphere.
The Scarlets are targeting former All Black back-rower Cullen Grace of the Canterbury Crusaders, while the Ospreys are interested in former Wallabies international Lachlan Swinton, currently with European champions Bordeaux-Bègles.
When the articles were published online, many supporters criticised the potential signings, arguing that such players would do little more than block opportunities for emerging Welsh talent.
But, the most telling response came from a commenter who posed a simple question: “Which young player is he blocking, and which home-grown player is currently better?”
The original poster was unable to provide an answer. In a nutshell there are no better Welsh-qualified alternatives on the market.
The issue of non-Welsh-qualified players has long been a source of intense debate in Welsh rugby, often generating significant friction between the national team coaches and the four professional clubs.
Welsh Rugby Union chair, Richard Collier-Keywood, recently labelled overseas players in Wales a “waste of money” and he isn’t the only high-ranking member of the governing body who has held this opinion over the years.
Former Wales boss Warren Gatland always believed the four sides had too many foreign players.
But such a high volume of overseas players in Wales is arguably the result of the WRU neglecting the pathway over a number of years.
