Ruddock prays for player release

Wales coach Mike Ruddock has asked club coaches in France and England to help his Six Nations preparations by releasing his exiled quintet of players for the weekend before the opener against England on February 5.

Captain Gareth Thomas, back row mainstay Colin Charvis, first-choice fly-half Stephen Jones, hokker Mefin Davies and veteran lock Gareth Llewellyn all play outside of Wales, and could be asked to turn out for their teams on the weekend of January 28.

The clubs concerned are Toulouse (Thomas), Newcastle (Charvis), Gloucester (Davies), Clermont Auvergne (Jones) and Narbonne (Llewellyn).

"I have contacted the clubs requesting that the players do not play and I am waiting for answers," said Ruddock.

Ruddock has also asked the four Welsh regions not to inlcude their international contingents on that January weekend, and has been satisfied with the response, saying he had found a 'very sympathetic ear'.

Ruddock will assemble his squad on January 23, including those players based abroad, but the preparations would be disrupted should the players be recalled the following weekend.

Ruddock will assemble his squad - including the exiled players - on 23 January, but the players could be recalled to play for their clubs the following weekend.

The request will be an interesting one to be asked of the French clubs, who have already displayed a certain amount of intransigence over player release during the autumn internationals, particularly for Wales' game against South Africa, which the French claimed was added to the calendar too late.

French clubs also fought vigorously against releasing players for the game between South Africa and Argentina, another late addition to the international calendar.

Ruddock eventually got his way for the Wales-South Africa clash, but only by virtue of a promise to hand the players back a week early, causing the players concerned to miss out on the Japan test.

Ruddock is very concerned that his players will not be adequately prepared, should they miss out on international training the weekend before the England match, especially as England are assembling considerably earlier than Wales.

"If we get the release of all the players it would make it a lot easier for us to have a positive preparation," said Ruddock to the BBC.

"By the time we get together, England will already have had two three-day training camps.

"The fact is that England are ahead of us in terms of preparation.

"Wales have not won many opening games in the Six Nations over the last decade and I am beginning to see some of the reasons why."