Head coach Warren Gatland had wanted to name his Wales team to play England two days early ahead of their Six Nations clash in Cardiff on Saturday.
It would have been the second time this Six Nations the Wales coach has decided to reveal his hand 48 hours earlier than necessary.
Gatland did the same ahead of the opening match against Ireland in a bid to change the narrative around Welsh Rugby, with allegations of sexism and misogyny erupting before the tournament.
However, he has had to delay his announcement from 12noon on Tuesday following a build up in pressure that players could be striking.
Gatland is openly against the strike action of the players and perhaps was aiming to use an earlier than usual team announcement to strong arm the players into playing on Saturday, regardless. However, the fact that the team has not been announced has further evidenced the fact that a contract deal has not been reached and therefore, the players could well be striking.
This isn’t over yet.
In the past week, Welsh rugby has been affected by the threat of a strike from players who have reportedly reached a breaking point after 18 months of uncertainty.
The players have set a deadline of Wednesday for their three main demands to be addressed, and the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) is scheduled to meet with all professional rugby players on that day to discuss their options.
Currently, it is unclear why the team’s lineup for the match against England has been delayed, but it is anticipated that coach Gatland will provide an explanation later in the day.
MARTIN JOHNSON ALL-TIME XV
BACK-THREE:
Fullback: Serge Blanco (France) – “A great France full back who dominated games.”
Winger: Joe Roff (Australia) – “You’d put David Campese up there but Roff is my choice. A fantastic all-round rugby player, and old-style wing.”
Winger: Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) – “Not much difficulty in choosing one of the most awesome wings to have ever played.”
CENTRES:
Outside-centre: Philippe Sella (France) – “I used to watch him as a kid on TV and think he was brilliant; and then ten years later I played against him and he was still brilliant. He still looks as if he could play for France today. One of the best backs I’ve ever seen. If you hit him it was like running into concrete.”
Inside-centre: Danie Gerber (South Africa) – “Scored a hat-trick against England in the first half in one match in the 1980s. He didn’t play many Tests because of apartheid, but he had power and pace. I don’t know if he could pass: it seemed like he never needed to. I played against him in a charity match in 1996 when he must have been well into his 40s, he was still awesome.”