British and Irish Lions hooker Richard Hibbard and Wales flyhalf Rhys Priestland have joined the exodus of Wales players leaving the Welsh regions and joined the growing contingent of Wales internationals playing in England.
Lions hooker Hibbard has agreed to join Gloucester at the end of this season while Scarlets pivot Priestland has agreed to move to Wasps.
rugbyweek
Furthermore according to reports in the Daily Mail Wales Test lock has agreed to leave Cardiff and join Wasps at Adams Park.
English teams will not feature in the Heineken Cup next season but after their BT Sport TV deal windfall they are in better position financially to offer Welsh talent across the border.
The Welsh regions are almost under seige as they have had to live with France signing their player for a few years but now English clubs have joined the party.
Wales coach Warren Gatland said that he hopes his international players who move to England will be able to include clauses that allow them to be released for all Test matches and training camps.
“In a way, it’s some accolade – our top players are being targeted because our team has been doing well. We’ve got a reasonable number of world-class players at the moment and they are being targeted by French and English clubs. ”
“That is potentially a distraction, but we can cope with it,” Gatland told Sportsmail.
“In a strange way, for me, the better place for them to go is France, because they can negotiate more release there. They are not under the same restraints as English clubs are from PRL.”
“There is a solution to this; the WRU paying PRL for the full release of those players. The problem is that the WRU don’t recognise PRL; they will only operate union-to-union, they won’t deal with the clubs’ organisation.”
Wales internationals leaving or left:
- George North (Northampton Saints)
- Mike Phillips (Racing Metro)
- James Hook (Perpignan)
- Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro)
- Paul James (Bath)
- Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro)
- Luke Charteris (Perpignan)
- Jonathan Davies (to join Clermont)
- Dwayne Peel (Sale)
- Ian Evans (to join Toulon)
- Bradley Davies (to join Wasps)
- Richard Hibbard (to join Gloucester)
- Rhys Priestland (to join Wasps)