Rugby strikes: WRU to meet players as Wales v England Six Nations team announcement cancelled

Welsh players have reportedly given bosses a deadline of Wednesday 22 February to resolve the contracts issue. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

All professional rugby players in Wales have been invited to a meeting with WRU officials on Wednesday 22 February amid the ongoing issue with contracts, ITV Wales understands.

Players have warned they will strike if a resolution is not reached by Wednesday.

If the walkout goes ahead, it will affect the Wales V England Six Nations clash on Saturday (25 February). The team announcement, which was due to take place on Tuesday, has been postponed amid the uncertainty.

Clubs are currently unable to offer concrete contractual offers to players because financial negotiations between the WRU and four professional sides have not been finalised.

It has led several players like Alun Wyn Jones, Willis Halaholo, Bradely Davies and former Wales international Sam Warburton, to speak out on the matter.

However the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) say finances are "stretched" and the "WRU and clubs have been paying salaries that their businesses cannot afford".

Discussions over finances for the four professional sides - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - have been taking place with the WRU for 12 months but a final agreement is yet to be reached.

It means an uncertain future for players whose contracts are up this summer.

Rugby bosses were reportedly warned that strike action was being considered as early as November last year.

Ospreys Lock Bradley Davies previously said players want a voice at the table during negotiations. Credit: PA Images

Head coach Warren Gatland previously said while he was supportive of "players' stance", he did not support strike action and said he wants to ensure Saturday's game against England takes place.

Speaking at the same press conference last Thursday (16 February), former captain Alun Wyn Jones said was "the very last option" but a very real possibility.

He said: "We realise what we do and how fortunate we are to do it, but if this was any other line of work, any other industry for this period of time, with this amount of uncertainty, you'd get the same reaction and we're very respectful to society as a whole, but it comes to a point now where the game in Wales has to make a decision in which direction it wants to go."

He added athletes in their early twenties should be solely playing for their "enjoyment" and not worrying about where their careers are going in the future.

"I think we're very fortunate, we're all involved in a sport, in a job that we love and to fathom the fact that there's talk we might not do that because of the severity of the situation is very real but it's the last thing we want to do."

In a previous statement, the WRU explained: "The cold facts are that the WRU and clubs have been paying salaries that their businesses cannot afford, so the new agreement establishes a new framework for contract negotiations.

"The average salary of a Welsh professional rugby player under the new framework will be around £100k-per-year."