Welsh rugby’s bean counters may think it’s just about the bottom line.
They should have attended the Dragons’ press conference ahead of Saturday’s game with Leinster.
There sat a worried Jack Dixon, father of a two-year-old son, Alvie. Jack’s wife Lauren is pregnant with the couple’s second child. It should be a time of anticipation, joy and excitement for the young family.
Instead, anxiety is the order of the day.
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For Jack is a Welsh rugby player and it’s not a happy time for anyone in that position right now. Crippling uncertainty is the lot of those who are out of contract this summer and there is talk of bracing pay cuts sweeping the Welsh game. Some of those whose deals expire imminently, of whom the player looking back at us via Zoom today will be one, could find themselves unwanted in a worst-case scenario. And what if Dixon picks up a major injury as he heads for out-of-contract status? Will anyone want him, then?
That is his big fear. “My contract runs out in three or four months’ time. I have a two-year-old son in the house, my wife is pregnant with another baby towards the end of this year and I don’t know if I’ve got income coming in June, July and next year yet,” he said.
“Nothing’s been said. The uncertainty to us as human beings is appalling.
“When you take the field you try to park it as best you can, but, subconsciously, in the back of your mind, you are one big injury from being thrown out the door, to put it frankly.”
TRUSTED
In fairness to the Dragons, they have made the big centre a verbal contract offer and coach Dai Flanagan has pledged the club will honour it. The team boss comes across as a man who can be trusted, but until there are signatures on paper Dixon will not rest.
“There is quite a good bond and trust between players and coaches at the Dragons, but, like in any industry, until something is set in stone and signed on the dotted line, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Dixon.
“But Dai has sat us down and explained the situation the best he can to every individual.
“I would like to think and I do believe that he is true to his word. But until we get to that point we really don’t know.”
The 28-year-old, who made his debut for the Dragons at the tender age of 16, continued: “I'm not naive in rugby any more. Until it is signed, sealed and delivered I will take it [a verbal offer] for what it is. I've seen it all happen before with past team-mates, it's a rollercoaster and you have to hold on. At the minute we are just holding on until we get answers.”
Would you support Welsh rugby players taking strike action amid contracts turmoil? Have your say here
What to think?
No industry is immune from economic reality but players are having a tough time. They are not to blame for the mess Welsh rugby finds itself in. Contracts dished out to them were signed off by Welsh rugby bosses, yet it’s the players who are left to contend with the Welsh game’s version of shock therapy.
Dixon could be forgiven for feeling that’s the thanks he gets for being such a wonderful club servant. A hugely physical player whose trademark is whole-hearted commitment, he has put his body on the line 167 times for the Dragons over 12 years. Now he’s plunged into a world of uncertainty.
“I've been here for a long time after coming through the academy system,” he said. “I just feel like I have given a lot to this club and to a certain extent I am not getting anything back.
“I think I should be, along with the other boys. It's tough for everyone at all the regions, we are all in the same boat.”
POTENTIAL STRIKE ACTION
What of the potential strike action mooted ahead of the Wales v England game on Saturday week? “As players across all four regions, we have to stick together with this,” said Dixon.
“For me and a lot of the boys, it’s not really about money. It’s about players having a fair say in the board meetings and just having a voice. We feel as players we don’t get a say, we’re always last to know information, we’re always last to find out what’s going on. I think it’s unfair all rumours are flying around here, there and everywhere, but we are last to know if it’s true or not.
“I feel like it’s got to the point where you’re asking me about Welsh players striking for Wales v England, that says it all.”
'THE WORST I'VE SEEN IT'
The late Scottish football manager Walter Smith used to say Rangers were never more than two defeats away from a crisis. At Welsh rugby of late, it’s felt like the game is never more than two hours away from such a state.
“It's the worst I've seen it,” said Dixon. “Every day you come in and there is something new, something else going on.
“I feel like, especially over the last couple of months, not every player is hundred percent focused on the job they are supposed to do.
“There is always something in the background and something else to worry about. It's showing on the pitch.”
Players deserve better.
They really do.
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