Rugby Union: Rising cost of Foreign Legion

VARIETY is the spice of life, but the number of foreign players in Welsh rugby is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

The other day I calculated there are over 50 players in the Welsh Premier Division who are ineligible for Wales coach Steve Hansen.

I have nothing against the influx of top-quality overseas stars, but the situation has gone way out of control. Instead of strengthening their squad with a couple of established internationals, most clubs seem to have bought in by bulk and never mind the quality.

For me, the best overseas import over the last few years has been Gary Teichman of Newport. As captain of South Africa, Teichman sparked massive interest when he arrived and Newport cashed in by marketing him at every opportunity.

Suddenly, home gates shot up, and Newport's resurgence can be traced to the moment they realised that one major star could spark a revival off the field.

There is nothing wrong at all with this approach, but too many clubs are importing dross in the form of cheap labour. The damaging effect is that far too many of our home-grown players are not getting any first-team action.

Cardiff have had a poor start to the season, and they lack quality, experienced forwards. But I was amazed when they went out and bought a South African fullback, even though they boast the current Wales fullback in Rhys Williams.

Swansea's new coach John Connolly hit the nail on the head when he declared that good teams evolve rather than rebuild from scratch.

It seems to me that Swansea, Cardiff and Newport are suffering at the moment because they are rebuilding following the loss of certain overseas players.

I would like to see a situation like that in cricket, where clubs are limited to perhaps two overseas players. It is a system that seems to work well in Ireland, where the foreign legion has been resisted.

What a help it would be for Hansen if he was watching the best young Welsh talent week in and week out at club level.

At the moment, the balance is wrong. I appreciate that clubs have to be accountable to their supporters, and results in the short term count for a lot.

But in the long term we are storing up trouble if we rely on ageing foreigners to prop up our game.

Interview: DAVID WILLIAMS

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