Premier Rugby in row over player release for World Cup build-up

Premier Rugby stood accused tonight of wrecking the chances of players appearing in the World Cup next year by refusing to release any non-England internationals contracted to Premiership clubs until the statutory 35 days before the tournament starts. The Wales coach, Warren Gatland, branded the decision unacceptable and called for common sense to prevail, warning that otherwise players would not be going to New Zealand. Wales's first warm-up match before the World Cup is against England on 6 August, two days after non-English players will be released by Premiership clubs. Premier Rugby has written to unions throughout the world pointing out when it is obliged to release players and Martyn Thomas, the Rugby Football Union management board chairman, has pledged to intervene on the Celtic unions' behalf. He intends to meet Mark McCafferty, the chief executive of Premier Rugby, this week. McCafferty said tonight that Premier Rugby was prepared to compromise, but only if the issue was dealt with not in isolation but as part of a discussion with the International Rugby Board on a range of issues governing the release of players, including the proliferation of unofficial Tests and concerns that players are not properly insured on international duty. Under the IRB regulations, clubs are not obliged to release players to join their countries to prepare for the World Cup until 4 August. Premier Rugby's policy, which was unanimously agreed by the 12 clubs, is never to release non-English players outside the stipulated IRB window. England players are released outside the windows under a deal struck with the Rugby Football Union, which pays about £150,00 per player for the privilege. France's Top 14 has taken a similarly hardline stance to Premier Rugby. Gatland today named a 33-man squad for next month's four internationals in Cardiff and did not include a single player who earns his living outside Wales. The Sale scrum-half Dwayne Peel and the Wasps No8 Andy Powell were the main casualties. Scotland have nine Test players contracted to Premiership clubs. "The concern with Peel and Powell primarily was that they would not be available for our first international against Australia as it falls outside the official window," said Gatland. "The other issue was the letter we had from Premier Rugby saying its players will not be released for the World Cup until 4 August. It will severely limit the preparation time of players based in England and puts a question mark over whether they will go to the World Cup. If they are not made earlier, it is very unlikely they will be considered for the squad. "No one has had much success changing Premier Rugby's stance on the issue of release. It should be about common sense, but that is not always the case in modern professional sport. Premier Rugby's stand is unacceptable and ridiculous. It is not in the spirit of the game. I am disappointed not so much with the politics but with some players being denied the chance to go to the World Cup. The people making these decisions have clearly not played international rugby." Gatland pointed out that Powell's contract with Wasps ended in May, which would allow him to attend the July training camp. That would be the same with Gavin Henson, if Ospreys grant the centre his wish to join a London club for the rest of this season with a view to rejoining the region in the summer.The Scottish Rugby Union wants the IRB to intervene. "We have some concerns and need clarity," said a spokesman. "It comes down to the importance of the World Cup. Unions want to make sure that it is seen as the pinnacle of the sport's calendar and we are looking for leadership from the Board." Thomas said he had written to the Celtic unions. "I will be arranging a meeting with Mark McCafferty as a matter of urgency," he said. "We cannot force Premier Rugby to release players but we can find out what they would like. I suspect, though, that this is an issue of principle, not money." A number of World Cup countries are affected by the policy, including Italy, the United States and the South Seas islands. "Tier two nations are being significantly disadvantaged because their players have to go abroad to earn their livings," said the Welsh Rugby Union chief executive, Roger Lewis. "Clubs in certain countries have taken advantage of these players and are not respecting the powerful, emotional pull of an international jersey. "We are not going to be blackmailed or held to ransom by English clubs. It is the responsibility of the RFU to ensure the game in England is run in the best interests of all." The Board is maintaining a watching brief and would only become involved if the RFU got nowhere with Premier Rugby. "Too much is being made of this," said McCafferty. "All we did was to write to unions pointing out what the IRB's official release dates were. I am sure we can reach an accommodation over releasing players for World Cup duty before 4 August, but we have been asking for a meeting with the board for a long time to discuss the regulation governing release of players as a whole. We are not being unreasonable and all we are asking is that the interests of clubs are considered, not just unions, because too much is being asked of players."