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Welsh rugby faces crucial nine days with pressure mounting and big announcement to be made
It is set to be a busy nine days in Welsh rugby.
Wales begin their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a tricky clash against Fiji at the Principality Stadium next Sunday which is a game they simply cannot afford to lose. The pressure is on Warren Gatland and his players but there is also a huge amount going on away from the field of play.
The Welsh Rugby Union have been very busy putting together a new long-term strategy for the game in Wales which is due to be published in the near future. On top of that, the WRU have been forced to apologise for its handling of contract negotiations with the senior women's team. You can read more about that here.
READ MORE:WRU to apologise to players over contract row but refute sexism claims
Rugby correspondent Steffan Thomas takes a look at the headlines we can expect over the next nine days.
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Team announcement
First things first and that's Gatland's team announcement for Wales' clash with Fiji in Cardiff. It's a particularly intriguing team selection because it is very difficult to predict which way Gatland will in a handful of positions.
Unlike years gone by, there are very few players who are nailed on to make the starting XV. Those who are close to being assured of their place are locks Adam Beard and Will Rowlands, captain Dewi Lake, backrowers Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright along with scrum-half Tomos Williams.
But there are a whole host of positions which are up for grabs. It's anyone's guess who lines up in the centres but that particular selection will go a long way to determining whether Wales can end their losing run.
Will Gatland stick with Mason Grady and Owen Watkin? Will Ben Thomas fulfil the role of a second playmaker outside of Gareth Anscombe or might he even go with a powerful centre pairing of Eddie James and Max Llewellyn?
We will find out by the end of next week. But one thing which is certain is that Gatland has to get his selection right because if Wales slip to a record-equalling 10 Test match defeats in a row then the pressure will ramp up ahead of facing Australia the following week.
WRU's long-term strategy for the game in Wales
The WRU and its four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons RFC, Ospreys and Scarlets - are currently in negotiations over a new long-term deal for the game in Wales. Initially, the WRU offered to transfer circa £14m of debt from the four professional clubs onto its own balance sheet in return for a 20% equity stake at the professional clubs.
The 20% equity stake request is no longer on the table after it was rejected by the clubs. But even so, all five parties are moving closer to agreeing a new long-term deal for the professional game in Wales. The new deal will still involve the WRU taking a significant amount of the professional clubs' debt onto their balance sheet, but this time in return for a golden share in all four sides.
If this gets agreed, the WRU will have a lot more control over the rugby operations at all four clubs. Under the new agreement Warren Gatland and the WRU will have a say on the number of minutes each Wales squad member plays, what position they are played in and in some instances which Welsh club they play for.
For example, if the Ospreys had three Wales internationals stacked in one position, the WRU could influence inter-contract transfers by placing one of them at the Dragons, subject to the player in question agreeing to the move. As part of the proposed new deal, the WRU have guaranteed a fixed amount of payment to its professional clubs for the first three years of the deal with the aim of ensuring all four sides operate on playing budgets of circa £6.5m in a few years' time, although next years it is expected to go up to £5.1m per club.
WalesOnline understands the WRU would ideally like to make a big announcement on the eve of the Fiji game but as of today a new deal between the governing body and the four clubs has not been signed. But the clock is ticking because each side needs to know what it's budget is for next season and beyond.
Will Wales have enough to overcome Fiji?
Gatland and Wales are under pressure to get results. In this week's press conference defence coach Mike Forshaw was refreshingly honest when asked about the game.
"People saying Wales had to take some pain with young players," he said. "Well, that's over now.
"Players who have come in have got to front up to that. That's not just me as a coach saying that, the players are adamant that's got to be the case as well.
"There's a bit of pressure on us to win and the players have got to feel that also. There's no excuses and we have to start winning rugby matches.
"We are in the business of winning rugby matches and we have to do that on November 10 on a Sunday afternoon in Cardiff." Succinctly put.
If Wales come up short against Fiji they will have lost 10 Test matches in a row, their worst run of defeats since Sir Steve Hansen's class of 2002-03. Fiji will not be easy opposition especially considering they will be boosted by their French based players such as Semi Radradra, who are not available for their trip to Murrayfield this weekend.
But there is some cause for optimism. Gatland has brought some experience back into the squad in the form of half-backs Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe along with forwards Will Rowlands, Jac Morgan and Adam Beard who were all missing in the summer. Historically Wales have struggled against Fiji and beat the Pacific Islanders by the skin of their teeth 32-26 at last years Rugby World Cup in France.
Wales will need to ensure they get things right tactically and not get drawn into a loose game as was the case when Gareth Jenkins' class of 2007 got dumped out of the World Cup at the pool stage by Fiji. Wales should have enough experience to get the job done but confidence among the younger members of the group could be an issue.
Will anyone lose their jobs over Wales Women fiasco?
The WRU have been embroiled in yet another scandal less than a year after an independent review led by Dame Anne Rafferty found aspects of the governing body's culture were sexist, misogynistic and racist. This time a report in The Telegraph alleged the Wales Women's players were given a three-hour ultimatum to sign contracts after the national side threatened to go on strike.
It was also alleged that the WRU's executive director of rugby Nigel Walker told players if they did not sign new contracts they would be withdrawn from the WXV2 tournament in South Africa and by extension the World Cup in England next year. The article also alleged players were victims of "bullying tactics" used by members of the coaching team.
The WRU held a press conference on Friday where it admitted the way they had dealt with the issue of contracting was not good enough but it strongly denied allegations of sexism. A review of the process surrounding the contract negotiations, which was undertaken by WRU board members Alison Thorne and Claire Donovan, will be published by the end of the month.
But the WRU has revealed the report has already found a number of key failings. These were:
It was a mistake to issue a three-hour deadline to the players with regards signing contracts
The WRU had failed to take into account the growth and rapid change of the women's professional game
Contrasting views on how to grow the women's game in Wales
Players were left isolated without even being given WRU email addresses like any other employee
The players considered strike action before the friendly with Scotland on September 6
Not enough transparency in the contract talks which led to poor behaviour from both parties
Sexism was not the root cause
A handful of journalists asked the likes of WRU CEO Abi Tierney and chairman Richard Collier-Keywood whether Walker and Wales Women head coach Ioan Cunningham's position had become untenable. The WRU straight-batted the questions, instead emphasising this was a collective failure not individual ones.
But even so the WRU will undoubtedly need to make some significant changes and it wouldn't be a surprise if Walker and Cunningham's jobs were in jeopardy.
