2 days ago
EXCLUSIVE Ashton Hewitt opens up on the uncertain life of a rugby player in Wales after being released by the Dragons: 'It's been difficult to enjoy'
Welsh rugby is full of uncertainty right now and Ashton Hewitt knows that better than most.
As the chairman and leading player representative of the Welsh Rugby Players Association, Hewitt has been the closest of his contemporaries to the discussions taking place at the top of the country's national game as it has slowly unravelled.
Frankly, it has been a car crash. A total disaster.
From player strike threats over contractual and financial issues to the current debate over the possibility of cutting a professional team – and much, much more besides – all sorts of off-field issues have only served as a distraction to the sport's development. They have had an impact on the pitch too, with Wales' senior men's side on a run of 17 straight Test losses.
It seems hard to predict when things are going to change for the better.
Every so often, a new low seems to be hit. With money slim and squad sizes being reduced, Hewitt has become the latest victim of Welsh rugby tightening its belt.
After playing his entire career for the Newport-based Dragons, the 30-year-old has been released by his home region and is yet to sign a new contract elsewhere.
It's left him, partner Ellis and five-month-old daughter Thea wondering what's next.
'For the last five years or maybe longer, there has been something every single year in Wales that has impacted the players and put lots of us in difficult positions,' Hewitt told MailSport.
'To be honest, it's been difficult to enjoy rugby because of that. It feels like a long time since as players, we've just been able to focus on the game and there's been no noise about anything else. It's been a s*** position to be in. I know I speak for myself when I say uncertainty and off-field stuff impacts performance. It's hard for it not to.'
Hewitt gave his all for the Dragons over the course of 12 years and is second on the list of the region's all-time leading try-scorers. In the line of duty, he suffered two serious knee injuries. But loyalty and putting your body on the line counts for little in the cut-throat world of professional sport, as Hewitt has found out.
After returning from his second knee blowout, he was informed by new Dragons coach Filo Tiatia he wouldn't be re-signed.
It was a body blow to the player who isn't sure what's next.
'Filo didn't see me as part of what he's building and that's the nature of the game. Ideally, it would have been nice to know sooner, but I understand there may well have been reasons for that,' Hewitt said.
'It's tough. I've got a young family. I'm not quite at panic stations, but it is worrying. It's the same for anyone who loses their job when they've got commitments.
'There is a lot of pressure. You do feel responsibility and the need to keep going and provide for your family. This is a situation I hoped I'd never be in. It's just s***, to be honest.'
Players and coaches come and go from clubs all the time. Hewitt's situation isn't new.
But for him, being released has come at the worst possible time. Wales' four regions have limited money to spend and there is a very realistic chance the Welsh Rugby Union might cut its number of teams to three.
Such a scenario would leave even more players unemployed. After the financial demise of Worcester, Wasps and London Irish, the number of playing jobs in English rugby is significantly less too.
'It's not just tough for players in Wales. It's everywhere. Clubs in England have gone bust and that's meant the player market is saturated,' Hewitt said.
'What's common at the moment for players to hear is they might be offered something based on other factors like governance, politics or finances.
'The uncertainty is tough. Most players have families. People see it as a glamorous job, but rugby can be very stressful. Welsh rugby isn't that glamorous at the moment. It's not all fun and games. There is a tough side to the business.
'Short-term contracts are one and a lack of security plays into that and puts a lot of pressure and strain on you as a person.
'You're always at risk of being in the position I'm in now.'
A rapid wing, Hewitt still has a lot to give. He has received numerous expressions of interest in his services from several corners of the globe, but no concrete financial offer.
'I've got a few years left in me. I feel I've got something to prove now and I'm completely over my injury,' Hewitt said.
Hewitt is not the only rugby player facing an uncertain future. Having been involved in talks between the WRU and the regions given his WRPA role, he has grown frustrated at a lack of transparency and accountability in Welsh rugby's corridors of power.
Hewitt has been a passionate voice in society's fight against racism and bigotry. Away from the game, he advises organisations on equality, diversity and inclusion – in part using lessons from what rugby has taught him.
He does have other non-sporting irons in the fire. But it is in rugby he would like to stay. Had he not cruelly been struck down by injury, Hewitt would surely have represented Wales. He was primed for a debut in the summer of 2018.
'Elliot Dee ran into me full tilt in training,' Hewitt recalled. 'Shaun Edwards was defence coach and I wanted to impress him, so I went in hard.
'It was a little bit rogue. It ended badly. The toughest thing for me has been whenever I've got injured, I've always been at the very top of my game. When you rack up two or three serious injuries as I have, you're out of the game for a long, long time.'
It is hard to argue with Hewitt when he says players in Wales deserve better. The current struggles of the national side and the regional teams are down to a number of complex factors, but it is clear the game needs to be run far better than it is currently.
'There is huge pressure with what's going on in Welsh rugby. I don't know all the answers, but I've been heavily involved,' Hewitt said. 'Could it be better? Yes.
'The WRPA do a great job, but it's a small organisation with limited resource. I didn't have a whole load of time to get my head around the contract situation.
'It's been a rollercoaster of emotions. I've been at the Dragons my entire career. It's my home region and means so much to me, so it's strange to be in this situation.
'There's a lot the corporate world can learn from professional sport, rugby specifically. I want to make a difference in whatever it is I do. There are issues to address in society and hopefully, I'd like to be a catalyst for change.
'I'd like to work with clubs in the same way I'm working with other organisations now.
'That could be a route I'd go down.
'I am prepared if I don't get another contract, but that's not what I want. I understand the issues in the game, but I truly believe I can still offer a lot on the field.'
