Dragons boss Dai Flanagan says gamers equivalent to Will Rowlands can’t be prevented from leaving amid Welsh rugby’s continued monetary worries.
Wales lock Rowlands, 31, is out of contract on the finish of 2022-23 and has been linked with Bathtub and Racing 92.
“In the intervening time, we do not know our funds. We won’t communicate to gamers,” stated Flanagan.
Nonetheless, the Welsh Rugby Union’s (WRU) Nigel Walker stated Rowlands turned down a contract extension final summer season.
Walker, the governing physique’s efficiency director, wrote on social media to dispute Flanagan’s model of occasions, saying the rejected supply would have stored Rowlands at WRU-owned Dragons for the 2023-24 season.
The previous Wales wing’s assertions prompted Dragons chairman David Buttress to answer on social media, saying he was “not going to touch upon any particular person participant’s contract standing on Twitter”.
Walker additionally confirmed there’s a present freeze on contract signings and recruitment whereas the WRU and areas proceed to barter the skilled groups’ future funds.
In his dialogue with rugby followers on Twitter, Walker stated the supply made to Rowlands “preceded” the present “embargo” on contractual provides.
Walker additionally tweeted: “He (Rowlands) has been supplied a contract for subsequent season (which does not break the embargo) because it was made months in the past and stays on the desk.”
Chatting with the media on Wednesday, Flanagan stated: “If one participant is out of contract, one other 20 are in the identical boat.”
Rowlands, who joined Dragons from Wasps in 2021 to pursue Wales honours, is at the moment sidelined by a shoulder damage suffered within the nationwide workforce’s solely autumn win, towards Argentina, on 12 November.
Flanagan is in South Africa the place Dragons hope to bounce again from final weekend’s United Rugby Championship (URC) defeat by Lions after they face an arguably harder take a look at at Stormers on Saturday.
After that, Dragons return to Lions on Saturday, 10 December of their European Problem Cup opener.
Flanagan hopes points surrounding the sport’s monetary future may be resolved earlier than main gamers start to choose futures elsewhere.
“I am attempting to be as clear as I can,” stated Flanagan.
“It’s difficult as a result of like each different area we do not know our funds for subsequent 12 months… I am certain that there is causes behind it – that is above me as a result of my job is to educate and put together this workforce.
“I communicate to the people as typically as I can and to reassure them that they are vital to us, and going ahead hopefully we are able to get some correct conversations occurring as quickly as doable.”
In the meantime Flanagan hopes he’ll quickly be able to re-emphasise his imaginative and prescient for his Dragons, saying: “I keep in mind after I first got here in and talking to folks (and asking) ‘what will we need to be?’.
“Can we need to be a spot that folks need to come and play?
“We need to be the place in Welsh rugby, if not British rugby, the place folks go ‘they do issues proper there, the Dragons, they do the best factor on a regular basis’.
“And once you do the best factor on a regular basis, it is a spot folks need to be round and that is what we need to attempt to construct right here.
“I have been a participant myself and also you get to this time of 12 months and also you change into a bit nervous. You’ve got obtained households, loads of gamers have gotten payments to pay, mortgages to pay and it is not good.
“I’ve large empathy for these gamers and hopefully we are able to get issues shifting.”
In the meantime, Flanagan expressed hope that Wales prop Leon Brown and wing Ashton Hewitt – whose worldwide possibilities have been blighted by accidents – will quickly return to motion.
Hewitt underwent ankle surgical procedure after struggling an damage in September having simply returned following 18 months out with a knee damage.
Brown missed Wales’ autumn internationals after having surgical procedure to right a nerve downside in his neck.
Flanagan stated: “He (Hewitt) might not play this weekend, however hopefully we see him play play on tour, in order that’s an enormous step ahead for him.
“Leon’s nonetheless in progress this week so possibly, however Ashton particularly has made an enormous step ahead and Leon’s solely 9 weeks post-op, so it is vital he is round us so we may give him the most effective therapy with the most effective physios and see the place we get him this subsequent couple of weeks.”
