Will Rowlands: Lock hopes 'door open' for Wales at 2023 World Cup
- Published
Will Rowlands has won 23 caps for Wales and moved to Dragons from Wasps to pursue international honours
Will Rowland hopes he has "left the door open" to play at the 2023 World Cup despite leaving Dragons to join a club outside Wales next season.
The Wales lock, who is out of contract at the end of 2022-23, will reportedly join French side Racing 92.
That would stop Rowlands, 31, from representing Wales under selection rules as he has not won 60 caps.
"I would like to be able to have a chance to be able to be picked to go to the World Cup," said Rowlands.
"Hopefully I have left the door open for that."
Joining a club outside Wales makes 23-cap Rowlands unavailable to Wales coach Warren Gatland under the current Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) selection policy, which says players playing outside the country need to have won 60 caps to remain eligible for national selection.
A change in the policy or a special dispensation issued by Welsh rugby's Professional Rugby Board (PRB) would be required for Rowlands to become eligible for national selection after his Dragons contract expires.
Rowlands, who will miss the Six Nations with a shoulder injury, says he has not spoken to new Wales coach Gatland and hopes others can do that.
"The 60-cap rule had to be part of the consideration because essentially leaving Wales now will mean I won't be able to put my hand up to be picked for Wales, which is very sad," Rowlands told the Scrum V Live programme.
"Playing for Wales means some of the best experiences of my life for sure. But there is more to life. There is more things to go and experience."
Rowlands joined Dragons from Wasps in 2021 to pursue Wales honours and has made 16 appearances for the Rodney Parade region.
His contract situation had been the subject of dispute between the region and WRU performance director Nigel Walker.
Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan had previously said players such as Rowlands could not be prevented from leaving amid Welsh rugby's financial worries.
Walker wrote on social media that Rowlands turned down a contract extension last summer, which would have kept the player at WRU-owned Dragons for the 2023-24 season.
"We're obviously disappointed to be losing a player of Will's quality," Flanagan had said when news of Rowland's impending departure became public.
"Despite the best efforts of ourselves, Will's representative and the WRU over the last 12 months or so, we were unable to reach agreement on terms for the future.
"Contract negotiation is quite a fluid process - there's good times, there's bad times, we've all tried our best, but unfortunately it hasn't worked this time.
"Will is arguably the best second row in the world in our eyes."