Leigh Hallfpenny is wanted by French powerhouse Toulon

Leigh Hallfpenny is wanted by French powerhouse Toulon

WELSH casino rugby is on the edge of meltdown as of the economic black outlet threatened by the collapse of the Heineken Cup.

Lions player-of-the-series Leigh Halfpenny is being courted by Toulon and Cardiff Blues are unable to offer Lions captain Sam Warburton a newfangled contract with nix European rugby in place bearing in mind the withdrawal of the English and French clubs.

Anyone appearance not worth it of contract is almost to befall a target.

And WRU chief executive Roger Lewis admits the size migration spaces the Welsh archetype of regional rugby on the rare register.

Lewis’s desolation to attain a solution to the power struggle in European rugby was straightened by the side of yesterday’s surreal launch of the 24th and undoubtedly keep up Heineken Cup.

“Sam Warburton has told Cardiff Blues he wants to stay in Wales after that season,” thought Warburton’s agent Derwyn Jones, himself an earlier Wales lock. “But the region are not able to offer him a contract by the side of the minute as of the disaster so as to exist in Europe. They don’t know how much money they will allow after that time.”

Any cross-border competition cannot be run by the existing European Rugby Cup as the English Premiership and French league allow, in effect, resigned, and allow nix intent of attending the after that ERC board seminar in three weeks.

They allow already announced the Rugby Champions Cup from after that season, friendly to all individuals at present taking part in the existing competitions. If the Welsh acts not sign up, they will soon be bidding several farewells.

“There is simply so much instant guys like Warburton, Leigh Halfpenny and Adam Jones can put off until nearby is a contract offer, so the WRU and the region's duty progress in concert act whatever they can in support of the fine of Welsh rugby,” thought Derwyn Jones. On behalf of the WRU, Lewis has stirred towards the Premiership’s situation so as to opening be supposed to be earned from both of the three leagues so as to feed into Europe, counting the Pro12, anywhere it is too often a gift.

“We are exultant to set out down a meritocratic qualification process based on positions inside the leagues,” thought Lewis. “The after that mechanism is to allow an equitable solution amongst all the teams in support of sharing not worth it the monies so as to come up to not worth it of so as to.”

Lewis is effectively offering himself as a go-between while conversation an Anglo-French language. The fault is, the English and French clubs nix longer be going to come up to to the chart. “In expressions of the players, we need individuals of the caliber of Warburton and Halfpenny in Wales,” Lewis added.

He knows how much more fractious it would be to act so as to lacking a settlement, though even under the existing Heineken Cup, the WRU allows lost Jamie Roberts, George North and Dan Lydiate – all Lions – in the onwards only some months.

If the Rugby Champions Cup is officially blocked, the Premiership clubs be going to to fool around in nothing but the Premiership. They are emboldened by their £152million television deal with BT. ERC chief executive Derek McGrath, to conclude allow slip days gone by so as to he considered this, and the menace it posed to ERC’s Sky contract, the underlying cause of the break, a straight fight almost broadcasting civil rights.

“Everybody is very straighten the single right mind the clubs would not care for ERC to carry on is to frustrate the Sky contract,” he thought.

“It’s not almost performance. It’s not almost the competitions. It’s almost winding down the company and afterward the expectation is the contract would fall away. That is not something the ERC board is prepared to take.”

So ERC is fighting in support of their existence, McGrath in support of his job.