Wales coach Warren Gatland believes Rhys Webb may decide to back out of his move to France in order to keep playing for Wales.
Webb will become the biggest casualty of the Welsh Rugby Union’s new selection policy which will permit players outside of Wales, only if they have 60 caps or are already there under contract.
The change, announced on Monday, means Webb will no longer be eligible for selection if he goes ahead with his planned move from the Ospreys to Toulon as he only has 28 caps.
But Gatland has suggested Webb may be able to get out of his deal if he opts to put his Wales career ahead of the lucrative contract on offer in the Top14.
Gatland said: “I have spoken to Rhys. He has signed a heads of agreement and I think it’s a contract he could potentially get out of.
“At 28, Rhys Webb has had a lot of injuries and he’s said he needs to start thinking about himself and his future and his family. You’ve got to respect that and understand it and appreciate that sometimes people make decisions for their own self-interest and in particular for the future of themselves and their families.
“Possibly, he has a big decision to make. That’s going to be up to him. In the future, it’s important we do everything we can to retain players in Wales. Players in the future are going to have similar decisions to make.”
The scrapping of the so-called Gatland’s Law means the wildcard system of four picks for this season of players outside of Wales has gone.
As from now, only a player who has won 60 caps or more will be selected, although players with fewer than that already in England or France can still be picked.
Once they come to the end of their contracts, however, and they chose to remain outside of Wales, then the 60-cap rule will apply.
Martyn Phillips, the WRU chief executive, announced on Monday that Wales will now follow an Australian-style rule. If a player has won 60 caps or more then his international prospects will not be affected. The new policy takes effect immediately.
Gatland added: “If I was being perfectly selfish, then I wouldn’t have a selection policy. But you have to look at the bigger picture.
“The bigger picture is not just about myself or the national team. It’s about what is best for Welsh rugby. With that comes a responsibility. The long term benefit for Welsh rugby is to keep our best players playing in Wales. I strongly believe that.
“Sometimes that means if players decide to leave and you don’t have the ability to select the strongest side, it’s disappointing as the national team is affected. But, it’s about trying to find a balance between what is right for the national team and what is right for the whole of Welsh rugby.
“I had a good conversation with Rhys and before that with Dan Biggar as well, before he signed for Northampton. We’ve got to realise that we’re in a professional sport where market forces do dictate a little bit.
“It’s not just Welsh players. This affects South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, where players are offered huge sums of money to leave their national teams.
“We recognise that. Dan Biggar’s offer from Northampton was life-changing.”
The previous policy was designed to keep players in Wales but it did not work, with prominent names currently in the Premiership including George North, Liam Williams, Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau. Biggar will join Northampton next season and his Ospreys half-back partner Webb has said he is joining Toulon.
Biggar has 56 caps but he is likely to hit 60 this season, with Wales having four autumn Tests and then a Six Nations campaign.
The Gloucester flanker Ross Moriarty could also be caught when his existing contract expires, although not if he moves to a club in Wales.
North, Roberts and Faletau have more than 60 caps, while Williams had already started playing for Saracens before the policy changed and has three years of his deal to run.
Phillips said: “Whatever contract that a player is in today, that contract is protected. When that contract expires and if the player has less than 60 caps, they would not be eligible for selection. If they have 60 or more caps and they are outside Wales they would be [eligible]. The existing policy worked to an extent, but it has not worked well enough. It was quite complicated. We want to make it simpler.
“We have tried to step back and say ‘let’s try to simplify this’, make it understandable for players, for supporters and try and give each of the five entities [four regions and Wales] access to the players they need.”
