Leigh Halfpenny has become the latest in an ever increasing list of Welsh players to go and ply their trade abroad. The fullback will join Toulon from when his contract with the Cardiff Blues ends this Summer. In a deal reportedly worth £395,000 who can blame the boy from Gorseinon.
The current poster-boy of Welsh rugby won the Welsh sports personality of the year earlier this year, and was up for the IRB world player of the year. The worry for Wales is that the poster-boys are leaving, it used to be James Hook, then George North, now Leigh Halfpenny. The common factor is that none of them play in Wales anymore.
There were three offers on the table for Halfpenny, one from Toulon, one from the Blues and one from the WRU. He had a chance to stay in Wales, but he has doubled his money by going out to France which I do not blame him for. I do blame the regions and the WRU for not acting sooner, it is no longer about who is right in this debate. It is simply about settling the matter in a way that benefits Welsh rugby, even if neither side is particularly happy with the outcome.
If they don't then the logical outcome is that more players will leave, Sam Warburton is out of contract at the end of this year, will he want to stay at the Blues without Halfpenny. If Warburton leaves, Cuthbert will surely jump ship too. At the end of the day top players want to be winning games and earning top money. As more top players leave the Welsh regions the ones that remain will be looking for the nearest escape route.
If this row is sorted out and together the regions and the WRU can make a way to possibly keep talent in Wales then this exodus can be stopped. It will be late in the day to stop it but it can be stopped. Losing a player of Leigh Halfpenny's quality might just be the eye opener that both sides need to realise that they need to act decisively and quickly.
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