Welsh rugby is facing the prospect of two player strikes in the coming weeks.

Now Welsh players' body chairman Ashton Hewitt says strikes at the nation's regions are a "definite" possibility.

He says "striking for every player in Wales" is not off the table if a formal deal is not in place by 28 February.

WRU interim chief executive Nigel Walker has said a six-year framework would be formalised by the end of February.

The first strike threat surrounds the Wales players wanting three things resolved by Wednesday if they are to withdraw the threat of not fulfilling the Principality Stadium match on Saturday which would raise close to £10m for Welsh rugby.

The Welsh game's Professional Rugby Board (PRB) chairman Malcolm Wall told Scrum V it is pressing ahead with the fixed and variable elements of the new contracts, which is perhaps the most contentious issue.

The proposals include 80% of the salaries being guaranteed with the other 20% based on a range of factors, including win bonuses.

"I think it's massively important and I don't think it's something that anyone (among the players) wants to budge on," Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA) chairman Hewitt told BBC Sport Wales.

"One of my main concerns with the fixed variable is we've had the detail very late, we haven't been consulted on it well enough, and it's something they've been working on for nine-10 months - so we've been told.

"But we only received that contract at the start of January, end of December maybe.

"And we've been explained the detail in dribs and drabs, slowly, so there's been little understanding, players have been expected to accept it without really knowing the ins and outs of that contract.

"The little bit more detail that's come through, players aren't happy with it, and I think it's something players want real consultation on, and a real understanding of, to be told how they got to the numbers they've been getting to and why certain elements exist - and that's what players deserve."

The other demands Wales players want met involve having a place at PRB meetings for the WRPA and removing the contentious 60-cap selection rule in Wales whereby a player who leaves the country cannot be picked for the national side unless he has made at least that number of Test appearances.

Wall admits the 60-cap is under review while Hewitt welcomed the statement the WRPA would have a seat on the PRB, which has Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), regional and independent representatives on it.

"It's great that the WRPA will have a seat at PRB, that should allow us to be part of those discussions a lot sooner so we're not in the situation where something's getting chucked at us for the first time and we're chasing the detail and hopefully that can take away a lot of stress of the issues."

The threat of strike action at international and domestic level by players has come about amid differing circumstances.

All Wales-based players are employed by their individual regions - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - and a strike must be organised under relevant laws while international squad members are in a different category, while representing their country.

The WRPA is looking towards that end of February deadline when it was hoped the £315m six-year long-term financial deal between the governing body and four regions would have been agreed and officially confirmed by the PRB.

Should that formal deal not materialise, the players' body are using this as a marker for the possibility of holding a ballot on the strike action of professional players in Wales.

With Scarlets chairman Simon Muderack telling the Scrum V podcast the region were yet to receive the final official draft, that date to confirm a six-year permanent appears optimistic.

Personal plea

On a personal level, Hewitt underlined the angst he and others are experiencing as he is among around 70 players coming out of contract at the end of 2022-23.

With no contract offers in place, the possibility of a serious injury is a major factor.

Hewitt says he and his team-mates are "fearful" of their futures and that concerns are intensified for those players not earning international wages.

"I have a lot of fear… a lot of the boys have issues on the table and we don't know if things are going to be resolved," he added.

"The fear has got to tipping point. There is a feeling of, how much worse can things get?

"Uncertainty over your work is stressful irrespective of whether it is rugby or not. We have responsibilities.

"Earning a contract is stressful at the best of times, but this just intensifies it… not knowing if you'll be able to support your family or get a mortgage.

"The pressure is extremely heightened, it's extremely difficult, because we know everything could fall apart quite quickly.

"This impacts club players the most, because options are quite limited."

He added: "It is complex, but at the end of the day it's not a good situation when your main assets, who are people who have lives, have feeling, are the ones that face all the consequences."

Hewitt also echoed the thoughts of those who want the powers that be to resolve the game's issues.

"I'd ask them to genuinely consider the players in all of this," he said.

"I'm not sure why they can't get in the room and get it sorted and not leave that room until it's done, and I'd ask them to take a long hard look at the organisation and how it operates.

"I can't remember the last time I just concentrated on rugby. I think about Project Reset, the Covid cuts, and everything else, all the drama in Welsh rugby over the years, the boys just want to concentrate on rugby.

"Some boys don't have long left and I think they deserve to enjoy rugby without the politics and be able to instil trust in those making the decisions have got their best interest at heart."

Source: BBC Rugby Union News