Dai Young: Welsh players won't snub cross-border interest
- Published
Cardiff's Wales full-back Liam Williams has been linked with a move to Japan
Dai Young says Welsh rugby cannot be "arrogant" in assuming players will snub interest from other countries to continue playing for Wales.
Cardiff's director of rugby expects cross-border interest in Wales' best players as the regional game faces up to slashed budgets for coming seasons.
Welsh players playing outside of Wales without 60 caps to their name are ineligible for selection under current rules.
"I'm sure a lot of countries will be monitoring the situation in Wales over the next month or so and more than happy to take our best players," Young said.
"I don't think you could ever underestimate the power of the Welsh jersey - every kid growing up in Wales wants to play for Wales - but we shouldn't be arrogant in that either.
"You'd have to respect players' decisions because we've all got families and mortgages to look after."
Several Wales squad members have been tipped to move away from the Welsh regions, including Cardiff full-back Liam Williams who was linked with an offer from Japanese rugby.
Young said he has had no contact or conversations on Williams' future, but the current financial uncertainty in the Welsh game meant it was "no surprise our best players are of interest to other countries".
Cardiff, like their regional rivals, are still unable to negotiate new deals as they wait for a new financial agreement to be settled, with talks continuing between the regions and the Welsh Rugby Union.
It has been estimated that 70 players in Wales will be out of contract in the summer but cannot be offered new terms before the top-level agreement is reached.
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Cardiff and Wales fly-half Jarrod Evans said last month the stalemate could see him quit Welsh rugby, the Ospreys accept they could lose prop Nicky Smith, Dragons lock Will Rowlands is joining Racing 92 while Cardiff's Rhys Priestland and Max Llewellyn have already said they will leave the Arms Park this summer.
"We could have the realistic situation of not being able to keep players we want to keep just because of the budgets," Young added.
"We will be cutting numbers and we will be reducing salaries because the game in Wales can't sustain the salaries and numbers there at the moment, that's a fact and a situation.
"But to what levels we can't say until we get the budget in front of us.
"We've had no more information than we've had for a while. The longer it goes on the more and more agitated players and staff will be, but we just all want to know where their future is.
"I recognise that but we're trying to keep players' heads on the job because we have some important games ahead of us and we have to try and concentrate on that."
Cardiff scrum-half Lloyd Williams said the situation for players was "frustrating" and had an effect on their performances.
"There's more important things than playing for Wales but hopefully in the next fortnight something can be sorted so the future for us as a team and also the region can move on," Williams said.
"It is a reason for players to stay in Wales but on the whole the boys have families, they need a house to live in, they need food on the table so unless playing for Wales is what the player wants, having job security is more important
"Unfortunately for the boys at the moment there's no contracts to sign so it's an important period in the season; the boys will have to make a decision."
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