Warren Gatland: 'I can understand why players want to go to France for a short period' © Getty Images

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News: Regions and WRU sign £60m peace deal

Wales coach Warren Gatland has said he is optimistic that the first of the new centrally contracted players which will result from the new agreement between the WRU and the regions will be signed in the next few weeks.

The agreement will help fund national player contracts aimed at keeping top names from heading to England and France where clubs have much deeper pockets. An annual fund of £3.3 million will fund the contracts, with the WRU contributing 60% and regions the balance.

To date, Sam Warburton is the only player to commit to such a contract, although that was agreed in the summer before the new deal was thrashed out.

"We've got a finite amount of money [but] hopefully, we can get between 10 and 15 players to be on those dual contracts and for the players to be excited about being on them," Gatland said. 'The money is there. It's coming from the same pot, it's just how it's being spread out.

"Hopefully, in the next three or four weeks we will get players signed on a national dual contract. For them, they'll have the certainty of where they are going to be the next two or three years … and what's associated with having a dual contract.

"The players we are looking at for dual contracts are already in contract. They are already signed up to their clubs, so they are fairly secure."

Gatland said he could appreciate why players had gone to clubs outside Wales "I can understand why players want to go to France for a short period and experience life out there [for] two or three seasons. Money has been the driving factor, but then they have realised that playing in a good side and being happy, hopefully have good coaching and longevity of career, that a lot of other factors come into play about making those decisions.

"I think we'll hopefully see, over the next couple of seasons, a number of players returning from France."