Jonathan Davies warns Alex Cuthbert against France move

Alex Cuthbert

Wales legend Jonathan Davies has warned Six Nations star Alex Cuthbert against moving to France.

Cuthbert, 22, burst on to the Test scene during Wales' Grand Slam campaign having begun the season on a Cardiff Blues development contract.

The 6ft 6in, 16st wing scored tries against Italy and France and has since been linked with Toulon and Racing Metro.

"It's not always the money which is best," Davies told Scrum V.

Former Wales fly-half Davies, now a BBC dual-code pundit, says Cuthbert has defensive frailties that need to be ironed out.

He pointed to Cuthbert's half-time substitution in Wales' opening Six Nations win against Ireland in Dublin and says the players' agents must ensure their client's long-term needs are the priority.

"With the ball and because of his sevens experience, he's phenomenal. He's great in space and he's a natural finisher," said Davies.

"But if you remember the Irish game, where he was injured, but as soon as he made a defensive error the shepherd's crook came in and he was off, right?

"Now if he goes to France and doesn't play well and people work him out defensively, all of a sudden he's not playing for the firsts' side, he languishes in the second team and gets battered every week.

"Now what's that going to do for his confidence?

"That's the decision these youngsters have to make with their agents, because I think the agents have a duty to do the best for their players.

"It's not always the money which is best. And I feel that if they develop him in France, fair enough, and look at his defensive qualities and they persevere with him and educate him, that's great.

"But in Cardiff, if he stays in Wales with the Welsh coaches and now with Phil [Davies], it's a question of, right, we've got to work on his defensive capabilities because the last thing he wants is to go to France and lose his confidence and then lose his [Wales] place."

The Blues have made the winger a six-figure offer to stay.

If he leaves, Cuthbert would join 11 players in doing so amid Welsh regional rugby's on-going financial problems.