Dewi Lake concedes Wales pay dispute timing was 'a shame' ahead of Fiji Nations Championship opener

Wales captain Dewi Lake has admitted it was “a shame” that a pay dispute between the Welsh Rugby Union and the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association dragged into Test week, though a resolution reached on Wednesday ensured Saturday’s Nations Championship opener against Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium will go ahead as planned.

The two parties settled the row over match fees following talks at the players’ base in the Vale of Glamorgan, approximately 70 hours before kick-off. Lake became the first Wales player to address the matter publicly.

“It’s a tough position that it’s come into Test week,” he said. “Obviously, everybody would have loved these things done sooner with it being a new tournament. We understand the details behind it, but it’s a shame that it pulled into Test week. But we were able to get it done within plenty of time, and all focus for us now is on the game.”

The episode represents another uncomfortable chapter for the WRU. In February 2023, players threatened strike action just days before a Six Nations match against England in Cardiff, prompting then-captain Ken Owens to describe Welsh rugby as a “laughing stock”. Lake acknowledged the pattern without deflecting blame.

“These things have unfortunately happened before and they might unfortunately happen again,” he said. “Some things are out of your control, but the important thing is that we’ve kept focus on the rugby.”

Wales face a Fiji side that sit ninth in the world rankings, two places above them, and who claimed their only ever win on Welsh soil at Principality Stadium as recently as November 2024. World Rugby sanctioned Fiji’s request to stage their Nations Championship home fixtures outside the country for financial reasons, making Wales the nominal away side in Cardiff.

Fiji have won just two of the 15 meetings between the countries, with one draw, but Lake was in no doubt about the threat they pose.

“Look at that back line — there’s Test match animals across every position in that squad now,” he said. “We understand the threat they hold and we know what to expect from them. Discipline has been something we’ve worked on massively throughout the last two campaigns, but it speaks to more than just the penalty count. It’s about sticking to a game plan when the game can get chaotic. I’ve played against Fiji, and if you get sucked into that way of playing we’re going to struggle in the chaos.”

After the Fiji fixture, Wales travel to face Argentina and South Africa on successive weekends in the inaugural Nations Championship, with the remainder of the competition scheduled for November.