Warren Gatland has warned potential Welsh exiles to learn from Dwayne Peel's troubles should players wish to play outside Wales.
The Sale Sharks scrum-half was a late call into Gatland's Six Nations squad as cover for injured Gareth Cooper.
And Wales coach Gatland told Scrum V: "For me, if a player leaves Wales and goes to play for an English club I want to know that he is their number one.
"And I don't think Dwayne quite had that nailed that down."
Gatland, preparing for Wales' Grand Slam defence which begins in Scotland on Sunday, rejected suggestions that Peel had simply suffered the Welsh axe for joining an English club.
He said: "A lot has been made of the fact that he left Wales and went to Sale and that had nothing to do with it.
"It was the fact he's gone to Sale and hasn't been able to be their number one.
"They've got two good scrum-halves in Richard Wigglesworth and himself and they've sort of shared the games around."
Lions scrum-half Peel, who joined Sale from the Scarlets in a big-money switch last summer, was initially omitted from Gatland's 2009 RBS Six Nations squad as the Wales coach picked scrum-half rivals Mike Phillips and Cooper ahead of him.
Cooper impressed during Wales' autumn Tests when Warren Gatland's men beat Australia, ran world champions South Africa close and led New Zealand at half-time.
But Peel answered an 11th hour SOS on Saturday as cover for Cooper, who is struggling with a knee injury.
The 27-year-old must now challenge Phillips for the Wales number nine jersey, but has little time to do so with Gatland naming his starting line-up on Wednesday.
But Mike Ruddock, Wales' other Six Nations Grand Slam winning coach, told Kiwi Gatland that Peel is the best Welsh scrum-half.
Ruddock said: "For me, Dwayne Peel has always been the number one scrum-half in Wales and he has been for some time."
Wales' 2005 Grand Slam coach Ruddock watched Peel play a starring role for his club Sale Sharks as they won 37-20 at Ruddock's Worcester Warriors on Saturday.
Ruddock added: "His pace is exceptional, which causes no end of problems."
Peel's Sale boss Kingsley Jones added: "Dwayne only knew of his Wales call-up two hours before kick-off.
"I asked him if his head was right for the game, but he is the ultimate professional so I knew there wouldn't be a problem."
That seems to put Phillips in pole position for a first Wales appearance since last season's Six Nations title and Grand Slam-clinching victory over France in Cardiff.
Forwards (16): Gethin Jenkins, John Yapp, Adam Jones, Rhys Thomas, Matthew Rees, Huw Bennett, Ian Gough, Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Ryan Jones (capt), Jonathan Thomas, Dafydd Jones, Andy Powell, Martyn Williams, Robin Sowden-Taylor.
Backs (13): Mike Phillips, Gareth Cooper, Dwayne Peel, Stephen Jones, James Hook, Gavin Henson, Andrew Bishop, Jamie Roberts, Tom Shanklin, Shane Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, Mark Jones, Lee Byrne.
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