Wales coach Warren Gatland hopes the introduction of new dual contracts will turn the tide of the talent drain that has seen several leading players pursue lucrative club careers in France.
After months of bitter wrangling, the Welsh Rugby Union and Wales’ four professional regions agreed on a way forward for the club game in the Principality.
Now several Test stars are set to sign the new deals, with Wales captain Sam Warburton already moved from a central contract to a dual one.
Meanwhile the likes of Gethin Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones and Alex Cuthbert among others could also sign similar agreements.
“We have put a list together and we have to present that to the PRGB (Professional Regional Game Board) about potential players we are interested in,” Gatland said Wednesday.
“We have got a finite amount of money. 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,” the New Zealander added.
“The money is there, it is 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 will have the certainty of where they are going to be the next two or three years or whatever, and what is 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.”
Wales have seen several first-choice Test players leave the club game in their native land, with Jamie Roberts, Jonathan Davies, Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Dan Lydiate opting to play in either France or England.
“I can understand why players want to go to France for a short period and experience life out there — two or three seasons,” Gatland said.
“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 will hopefully see, over the next couple of seasons, a number of players returning from France.
“We are limited by the amount of money we have got. We only have a finite amount, and possibly, the number will go down.
“Most rugby contracts, unfortunately, don’t tend to go down, they tend to go up, so we will probably end up with less players on dual contracts.
“But you never know, with new TV deals and sponsorship, there might be more money to go into that pot to attract players.
“We have got to be aware of that over the next few weeks, when we do those dual contracts, to potentially leave some money there to try and attract one or two players back from overseas next season,” explained Gatland.