The likes of current Wales stars Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake and Aaron Wainwright are sure to be on the radar of French clubs.However, opportunities are limited in France and there are plenty of nationalities looking to secure deals.Former Dragons coach Barry Maddocks, who was a centre at Aberavon in his playing days, left for a job with Biarritz in 2021 and then moved on to Agen.This season he is with ambitious Nissa Rugby in the Nationale, France’s third tier, working with a squad in Nice that includes former Wales fly-half/centre Owen Williams.Maddocks knows all about the quotas for ‘Joueurs Issus des Filières de Formation’ – French Top 14 sides must average 16 home-grown players in their matchday squads throughout a campaign.”There are only so many non-JIFF slots,” said Maddocks. “That makes it very, very difficult, and there is also the volume of players on the market.”There is still an impact from the collapse of clubs in England and a lot of boys in Australia are looking for jobs.”There is a big pool of players and it’s a buyers’ market – clubs can drive prices down if there are two or three people looking for a job.”Maddocks is another to sing the praises of the French rugby experience and does not believe that moves will be limited to next summer.”Each division has been strong with passionate crowds and I’ve gained so much knowledge from different cultures and clubs,” he said.”I wouldn’t rule out more targeted recruitment and, with all the upheaval in Wales, come clubs could probably try to get players who are under contract but nervy.”If the WRU’s proposals lead to a fresh exodus of players, new Wales head coach Steve Tandy might have to get used to watching the Top 14 in addition to URC and Prem Rugby to assess his selection options.
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France’s Top 14 clubs ready to ‘exploit’ Wales’ rugby crisis
