French clubs circling to 'exploit' latest Welsh crisis

Toulouse won their 24th title in 2025

With Welsh clubs preparing for the start of the United Rugby Championship (URC) amid uncertainty, French vultures are circling.

Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets will kick off the new league campaign while fearing for their futures.

Former Wales back James Hook says it is obvious that French clubs will be looking to "exploit" that uncertainty.

The Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA) has already told the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) that its preferred plan to cut down to two clubs would "drive talent to leave Wales".

The upheaval means plenty of players will watch French action with jealousy in the coming weeks and months, no doubt tempted to join the Welsh contingent.

There are nine Welsh players in France's top two tiers but that number could grow as clubs with deep pockets look to exploit another crisis.

Wales internationals Adam Beard (Montpellier), Will Rowlands (Racing 92) and Gareth Anscombe (Bayonne) all feature in the Top 14 along with Carwyn Tuipulotu (Pau).

George North and Tomas Francis (Provence), Sam Davies (Grenoble), Owen Lane (Valence Romans) and Tyler Morgan (Biarritz) all ply their trade in Pro D2

The WRU intends to announce its final decision for the future of the elite game by November, but has the damage already been done?

France's thriving club scene

Back James Hook won 81 caps for Wales and played in France for Perpignan from 2011-14

Welsh rugby was in a far healthier state when Hook took up an opportunity at Perpignan in 2011 having just won the league title with Ospreys.

But the Wales international still could not turn down a chance to join the Top 14 and experience life abroad as well as a new atmosphere and passion for the game for three years.

Back then he was a rarity but now he fears far more Wales players will have little other option than to head abroad with the threat of two regions closing.

"With the state of Welsh rugby it's obvious that the French clubs will be looking to exploit that, and English clubs as well," said the 40-year-old.

"If there is an offer then players – and coaches – are going to seriously look at it because at the moment they are just not used to winning, whether that is at club level or internationally."

'My phone is already ringing'

Fly-half Sam Davies (centre) played for Ospreys and Dragons

Davies was named World Young Player of the Year in 2013 but after just eight Wales appearances in the following decade, he looked abroad - to the Alps.

Having lived through his fair share of Welsh rugby farce, including being sat in an Ospreys teammate's bar as they awaited confirmation of a merger with Scarlets that never happened, he now watches from afar with sympathy.

"My phone has already been going and there's no doubt that more players will be interested. It's not just the money, it's the security.

"I'm good friends with players and have been asking them if they are okay because they just don't know what is going to happen.

"Some change seems inevitable and that's sometimes painful, but it's time to end these sagas."

He has twice come agonisingly close to steering Grenoble back to the top division and is recovering from shoulder surgery in the summer but would urge any player to grasp an opportunity to play in France.

"I am super-happy that I moved. I needed to be part of a winning team and playing for a reason," he said.

"I have that at Grenoble and have experienced some incredible highs but also some of the worst emotions because it matters so much. That comes from playing for a community that really rallies behind the teams."

Limited opportunities in a crowded market

Barry Maddocks has coached at Biarritz, Agen and Nissa

The likes of current Wales stars Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Aaron Wainwright are sure to be on the radar of French clubs.

However, opportunities are limited in France and there are plenty of nationalities looking to secure deals.

Former Dragons coach Barry Maddocks, who was a centre at Aberavon in his playing days, left for a job with Biarritz in 2021 and then moved on to Agen.

This season he is working in France rugby's third-tier with ambitious Nissa Rugby working with a squad in Nice that includes former Wales fly-half/centre Owen Williams.

Maddocks knows all about the quotas for 'Joueurs Issus des Filières de Formation' – French Top 14 sides must average 16 home-grown players in their matchday squads throughout a campaign.

"There are only so many non-JIFF slots. That makes it very, very difficult, and there is also the volume of players on the market," he said.

"There is still an impact from the collapse of clubs in England and a lot of boys in Australia are looking for jobs.

"There is a big pool of players and it's a buyers' market – clubs can drive prices down if there are two or three people looking for a job."

Maddocks is another to sing the praises of the French rugby experience and does not believe that moves will be limited to next summer.

"Each division has been strong with passionate crowds and I've gained so much knowledge from different cultures and clubs," he said.

"I wouldn't rule out more targeted recruitment and, with all the upheaval in Wales, come clubs could probably try to get players who are under contract but nervy."

If the WRU's proposals lead to a fresh exodus of players, new Wales head coach Steve Tandy might have to get used to watching the Top 14 in addition to URC and Prem Rugby to assess his selection options.