Wales
Phillips silent on Bayonne exit
ESPN Staff
October 31, 2013
Phillips returns to Wales duty under a cloud of controversy © Getty Images
Enlarge

Mike Phillips refused to be drawn into comment about his acrimonious exit from Bayonne at a press conference ahead of Wales' clash with South Africa next weekend.

The scrum-half was speaking publicly for the first time since his sacking from the Top 14 outfit on Monday but remained tight-lipped about the incident or the subsequent fall-out of his dismissal. A tense and visibly agitated Phillips kept his response on the subject to a minimum - in part due to legal reasons, as the 31-year-old plans to take action against the club due to the way he was dismissed.

He also briefly alluded to rumours he may be offered a central contract and return to a Welsh region in the future although he remained cagey on the subject, deciding instead to focus on his immediate future with the national team.

He told Wales Online: "Yes [it was unexpected], I can't say any more than that really. I got back on Sunday night and my focus has just been here. It's great to be back in the set-up and I'm focused on getting myself in the best possible shape and putting myself in contention for a place in the starting line-up against South Africa.

"I was disappointed with the way it ended at Bayonne and that's that really. I'm excited by the prospect of putting the shirt on and playing for Wales.

"[A central contract] is out of my hands. I'm not the person making those decisions. The coaches with Wales have been good to me and I've been good to them. I feel comfortable here and I play my best rugby here so I am really excited."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
Download ESPN's new UK multisport app, a fresh and powerful new way to follow your favourite UK sports news, scores and video.

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices