Tomas Francis: Cup-hunting Exeter prop puts off Wales decision
- Published
Tomas Francis made his Wales debut in a World Cup warm-up game against Ireland in August 2015
Wales prop Tomas Francis says he is trying to put his club versus country dilemma to the back of his mind as he prepares for European and English Premiership finals.
Francis, 28, has returned from shoulder surgery to take part in Exeter Chiefs' push for honours.
He has 48 caps and was Wales's first choice at the 2019 World Cup.
But he is set to fall short of the 60 caps needed for Wales eligibility when his club deal runs out in June 2021.
Francis would then have to leave Sandy Park for a Welsh region or give up his international career, unless Wales prove flexible because of matches being lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
"My original contract runs out in June 2021, so if I don't have 60 caps by then, I need to go and play in Wales," Francis explained.
"The extension announced earlier this year with Exeter was to cover (the situation) if Covid got worse and to do with the salary caps, but there's an option for both parties, me and (coach) Rob Baxter to get out of that.
"If I don't have 60 caps, I'm not ready to give up playing for Wales and I won't be able to accept that extension.
"It's a decision I have to make down the line. But right now I've got two big games to concentrate on and two days after that I'm in (Wales) camp for the first time in a year.
"So I've got a cracking two months to look forward to, I'll put all that to the back of my mind, and at the moment it's about trying to get to 60 caps, trying to play for Wales and trying to win two trophies."
Tomas Franics had spells with Doncaster Knights and London Scottish before joining Exeter
The European Champions Cup final against Racing 92 in Bristol, where Francis starts on the bench, will be followed by the Premiership final against Wasps on Saturday 24 October, a week before Wales's much-delayed Six Nations game against Scotland.
Francis hopes the home-spun ethos of Exeter will be enough to see off the multi-national glitz of the Parisians.
"It was ten years ago in Bristol that they won promotion to the Premiership, so hopefully that's an omen and it's written in the stars," he told BBC Sport Wales' Scrum V podcast.
"It's a testament to the club and where it's gone, it's not about superstars but it's about building a squad and much of this squad has been together five years, even the young boys like Joe Simmons. I hope we bring home the goods in the next two terms for everyone who's been on this journey."
'Stay chilled'
Francis is grateful to be part of the push for club silverware after getting extra time to recover from the injury which kept him out of the first four Six Nations games of 2020 and most of the Exeter campaign.
"With my shoulder, it's two games I probably would never have played without the extra time because of lock-down. My first European game was the quarter-final, so it's just exciting for me," he said.
"I've got to stay chilled, I get nerves the day of the game but till that point I try not to think about it, chill, play cards."
Francis is proud to call himself one of Exeter's "weirdos" as he prepares to finish off the interminable 2019-20 season.
"Exeter is quite secluded as a place, there isn't a big city to go to so on our days off we do spend a lot of time together and grow friendships outside rugby. As Rob Baxter said, it's a group of misfits that fit, there's a lot of weirdos around.
"I enjoy a bit of Lego to chill out, apparently it's for kids but I enjoy it. On my days off (in the Wales hotel), I put a series on Netflix and build a bit of Lego."
If all goes to plan, the 20-stone prop may just be able to impress his Wales team-mates by building himself copies of the domestic and European trophies during the Autumn international camp, as he tries not to think about that decision on his club future.
Tomas Francis was speaking to Gareth Rhys Owen for the Scrum V podcast, available now.