 Ryan Jones says the players are proud to play for their regions and for Wales |
Ospreys and Wales captain Ryan Jones says the players are caught in the middle of the row between the Welsh Rugby Union and the four Welsh regions. The sides are at odds over the release of players for the November Tests. Wales coach Warren Gatland wants 13 days to prepare, which would rule players out of EDF Cup matches. "The players will go with whatever the decision is, we've got no other choice - we're Ospreys through-and-through and we're also proud Welshmen," Jones said. "It's way out of our hands, it's not something we're going to have a say in, it's not something we can have an influence over. "It'll be decided behind closed doors I'm sure and we'll find out the repercussions in the next few days."  | 606: DEBATE | Wales begin their autumn series on 8 November against world champions South Africa, with Tests against Canada, New Zealand and Australia following on successive weekends. Under International Rugby Board rules, clubs are only obliged to release players five days before official international match dates. However, Gatland wants extra time before the Springboks showdown at the Millennium Stadium, which would deny the regions their best players for the final pool round of EDF Cup games. The IRB's Regulation 9 - which deals with player release issues - is under review and may change in the near future. The Cardiff Blues, Ospreys, Scarlets and Newport Gwent Dragons issued a joint statement last week saying that "reaching agreement on extended player release, at least in the short-term, is unlikely". The statement went on to accuse the WRU of displaying "contempt" for the regions, which the Union responded to by claiming it was "inaccurate and misleading". The WRU and the regions have yet to agree a new participation agreement, which governs the relationship between them.
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