With Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Aaron Wainright the latest Wales internationals to leave to play club rugby in England, Paul Williams claims this is nothing new for Wales fans and is likely to continue
This season, three of Wales’ finest will pass the ‘Welcome to England’ sign as their club careers cross the line for the foreseeable future.
Flawless Jac Morgan and robust Dewi Lake will play for Gloucesterwhile Aaron Wainwright, with those cultivated micro-steps before contact, will play for Leicester Tigers.
They are fantastic moves for all three and wise choices given the current state of Welsh regional rugby – which is currently going through a tougher transition than an adolescent caterpillar told it will soon lose all 16 legs and replace them with wings.
But as heartbreaking as it is for Welsh rugby supporters to see a great talent leave for England, is it anything new?
Have Welsh rugby players always played in England?
George North performed well in his time at Northampton Saints. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Well, it rather depends on your age. If you’re the same age as the author of this column (almost 50, yes, I know I look old, cruel pigs), then you’ll have seen that Wales exports more rugby players to England than we bring water over the border.
Before the game turned professional in Wales in 1996, almost all of our best players went to play in England – in rugby league.
As a rugby union boy in the mid-to-late 80s and beyond, rugby league felt like the anti-Christmas Santa because it not only didn’t bring you anything nice, it stole things from under the Christmas tree – Jonathan Davies was the hardest theft to swallow as a youngster.
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But even in the pro era, and especially at a time when English Premiership clubs are big spenders, Wales lost loads of players to teams that worked within the salary cap – and some that didn’t.
Dan Biggar, George North, Liam Williams, Gavin Henson, James Hook, Dwayne Peel, Taulupe Faletau, Paul James, Richard Hibbard and Andy Powell all played rugby in England, some mostly during their peak production years.
In that sense, the loss of Welsh players is nothing new — especially when you extend the argument to include players who have not just gone over the border, but over seas.
Before the JIFF regulations reached the Top 14 in 2009/10, plenty of great Welsh talent jumped on the ferry to France: Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies, Mike Phillips, Lee Byrne, Gethin Jenkins, Dan Lydiate, Luke Charteris, Gareth the best non-example Alix Popham Thomas.
So while the outflow of playing talent from the Welsh to England and beyond is nothing new, 2026 is certainly different.
Why does this exodus from the Welsh feel different?
Kepu Tuipulotu has decided to play for England via Wales. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
That difference comes from the fact that England no longer only tempts established household names; it also pinches players who aren’t even old enough to own a house.
English rugby has established an enviable pathway into Welsh rugby of the ages and has managed to attract the best to England in a way that would make even the KGB proud.
The list of prominent Welsh players who have left this summer is nothing compared to the list of players who are Welsh but started their entire rugby career in the English system.
Lucrative scholarships from English private boarding schools such as Millfield, Harrow and Sedbergh, combined with the perceived greater financial stability of the English Premiership, made it an easy decision for many young Welsh players.
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After all, how many Welsh families can afford to turn down elite schooling and elite rugby coaching for free?
On the face of it, players leaving Wales to play in England seems like a very bad thing – or at least it would be if those players then became ineligible to play for Wales because they had less than 25 caps.
The same would apply if young players decided to change their allegiance and play for England. But what if they don’t? What if they are still eligible to play for Wales, or choose Wales even after playing rugby for England, as Kane James did?
Can players who are abroad be useful for the national team?
Wales’ top talent is unlikely to return in the near future. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
In a sport where Test rugby mostly pays the bills and club rugby largely creates debt, is it such a bad situation that other nations are paying most of the players wages while they are still playing for your Test nation?
It certainly works for Argentina, who retain a core of home-grown players while still utilizing a host of squad members who play abroad.
The reality is that key players have always left Wales for England.
Over the years, Wales either struggled to match the current wage rate or, in the amateur era, were unable to pay wages at all.
And while it could be argued that forcing other nations to pay large salaries to certain elite players is not without positives, the situation has certainly reached a crisis point in the last 12 months.
It may be a while before the likes of Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Aaron Wainwright see the ‘Welcome to Wales’ sign again.
