The Saracens prop has been included in a Wales squad for the first time since 2023, when he was very publicly axed from Gatland’s Rugby World Cup squad
12:46, 27 Oct 2025Updated 12:47, 27 Oct 2025
Carre is now back in the fold for Wales under Steve Tandy(Image: © Huw Evans Picture Agency)
Former Wales internationals Ellis Jenkins and Jonathan Davies have revealed exactly what happened between Rhys Carre and Warren Gatland before the looshead prop walked away from Welsh rugby.
The loosehead prop, who now plays for Saracens in the Gallagher PREM, has recently been called up to the Wales squad despite not having 25 caps. It comes two years since he last played for Wales, having been released from Gatland’s preliminary 2023 Rugby World Cup training squad for “failing to meet individual performance targets,” according to a Welsh Rugby Union statement.
The decision to make this information public was heavily criticised by rugby fans, with many suggesting that it was humiliating for Carre to be axed in such brutal fashion. He went on to play for Cardiff in the 2023/24 season but was overlooked again by Gatland, leading him to agree a return to former club Saracens and make himself ineligible for international selection with 20 caps to his name.
Having now been recalled by new head coach Steve Tandy after receiving approval from the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) to play for Wales again, Carre was the subject of discussion on BBC’s Scrum V: The Warm Up, with his former teammates Jenkins and Davies clarifying what happened between him and Gatland.
“Rhys, he’s a complex character,” said former Wales captain Jenkins, as he praised his physicality. “He is a complete and utter anomaly in terms of his physical ability. He’s huge, he’s tall, he’s fast. He’s one of the strongest players I’ve ever seen – in the gym and on the pitch. But, ultimately, he is an extremely good rugby player.
“He’s a game-changing player. He was brilliant for us at Cardiff. Every time he gets on the ball, if he gets within a couple of yards of the line he is almost impossible to stop. Freak athlete – his strength and physicality is just so hard to stop.
“A little bit like (Will) Skelton for Australia – you struggle to replace those players when they are playing well and when they are motivated,” he added. “The challenge for Steve Tandy and Danny Wilson is to find out how Rhys Carre can best get motivated and make sure they work with him as best they can..
However, the former Cardiff star admitted that Carre’s approach had landed him in trouble with coaches in the past, with the prop and Gatland “clashing heads” as he didn’t meet the former head coach’s demands.
“His attitude is something that has perhaps got him on the wrong side of coaches,” Jenkins added. “Even the fitness test stuff, I think it was more of a test of buy-in than his actual fitness levels. Gats was notorious for that. He would test you and he would want you to stand up to the test.
Warren Gatland fell out with Rhys Carre, according to the former Wales stars(Image: David Davies/PA Wire)
“Regardless of his fitness results, he just wanted to see a bit of a buy-in, whereas I think by that point they were already clashing heads and maybe it was a relationship that couldn’t get fixed.”
Davies then revealed that he once offered Carre help to improve his fitness, admitting that he had struggled with his weight but had been left feeling “aggrieved” by what he was asked to do.
“I remember my last campaign, Carre – he always struggles with his weight doesn’t he?,” said the former Wales and Lions centre. ” I was like, well, tell you what, come and move in with me for a month and I’ll get you to a point where you’re happy.
“What I said in return is that I want 10% of his wages! And he was like – ‘Deal!’. Then I was like, hang on, do I really want Rhys to live with me for a month? It’s got to be 20%! He wasn’t happy with that.
“He is a huge point of difference. It almost came too easy for him,” Davies added. “That’s why I think he’s been tested and felt almost aggrieved of being put through this, no one else has to be a certain weight. If you can get him to buy-in, he could be a very, very good player for Wales.”
Having returned to the Wales squad, Carre has a chance to feature against Argentina, Japan and New Zealand this autumn, with the Saracens man unavailable for the final Test against South Africa due to the game falling outside of World Rugby’s official Test window.
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