Thursday 19 October 2017 14:39, UK
Scott Quinnell expects Wales' new 60-cap rule to arrest the tide of players moving abroad and benefit regional rugby in the country.
The new ruling was announced on Monday by the WRU and it states that any players based outside of Wales will only be eligible to play for the national team provided they have at least 60 caps.
Rhys Webb appears certain to miss the 2019 World Cup after signing a deal with Toulon starting next summer.
But in conversation with Will Greenwood on Sky Sports rugby podcast, The Offload, Quinnell pointed to the potential long-term positive of the ruling.
"We should have our best side playing week in, week out," he said. "And from the regions' point of view, they want to put bums on seats and get the crowds in and you only do that by getting your best players to stay.
"There's a lot of people down the years who said let's go back to clubs. But I love the clubs and I loved playing against Swansea and playing against Cardiff and Pontypridd away - The House of Pain, there was no better place to go play 25-years ago.
"Now we are playing in the PRO14 there is no better place to go than Thomond Park or over to the RDS. It's a different time, it's a different breed, four regions…and we need to keep as many players in the regions as we can but we have to respect that the players have a short period to make their money."
But Quinnell was critical of the current transfer system that allows players to sign for new clubs, too many months in advance.
"The whole process of this is wrong to me because when we were playing, we weren't allowed to talk to other clubs until January," he said. "And that way they were stabilising your side and the side that you were going to after January. You were allowed then to talk to other clubs.
"We know now that the Ospreys will be without their half-backs next year and it's early on in the season already."
