Why Gats needs to change his policy.....

Ok well Gatland said he may have to relax his selection criteria for players outside of Wales, due to more players heading away. I think this will be a mistake.

At the moment only 1 player outside of Wales is getting into the starting 15. The others are just squad players and can and should be replaced. Hook, Byrne and Powell dont add anything that can't be filled from within.

If you look at the departures Charteris probably could have been lured to another region had he made it clear he will only select inside of Wales. Even if he did move on we had good cover in players like Lou Reed & Dom Day to take the mantle.

Brew while a cult hero at the Parade looks like he wont actually play a part on the International Scene anyway.

Jon Davies has already stated he would rather stay in Wales and Gethin while saying the money elsewhere is massive will probably end up staying at the Blues.

The point is if Wales are losing players who are approaching their final pay days they probably won't feature in future Welsh plans at any rate and need replacing. The Regions also need to take responsibilty because they spend way to much money on non Welsh Players.

If Gatland does relax his rule we will see an influx of players heading off abroad at younger ages which will not help for player access, preparation and training.

Sure there will always be some good players who leave but the key to the trend needs to be at the end of their careers. I know a lot of people will talk about how players have short careers and should have freedom to maximize their earnings before they retire but it shouldnt be all one sided.

After all without International & Heineken Cup exposure most these players would be unheard of and that would have impacted their contract offers in a major way. After all - the clubs that chase them are after the branding they created by playing the highest levels.

I know it sounds harsh but New Zealand do it and so should Wales if we really want to challenge SH Rugby in years to come. Irelands central contract model is already bringing players back to them. At the very least I would like to see a rule where they can only be selected from Rabbo teams because that would keep the big names within the league which should help the brand.

I epxect the WRU to have a lot more money available to the Regions at any rate once the Stadium is paid off. Maybe at that point they will contract the best players. One thing is clear though, the Regions need to invest in youth (like the Scarlets). If you look at the amount of non Welsh at the Blues and what they are paying them I'm not suprised they cant afford to pay better salaries. Afterall Rushie, Blair, Bowe, Walker etc are not on small contracts.

In truth, if the Welsh Premiership is developed properly and the Regions use it correctly the talent coming through ready to play regional rugby should take care of itself.

Attendances at Regions are shocking at the moment but if they can stay competitive and viable it wont always be like that. When the fans start coming so will the cash as Munster and Leinster are showing at the moment.

At the end of the day its not like Rugby players cant work after they retire from the game. Many go on to do normal jobs like the rest of us after they finish up around 35/36.

I personally think Gats holds all the cards but how he deals with the exodus will hold the success/failure of the National game for years to come.