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Holmes heading to Wales after leaving Leicester

Wales' Jonah Holmes is set to play club rugby in Wales after English Premiership side Leicester announced Wednesday they were releasing the wing from the final year of his contract.

Currently, any player with under 60 caps for Wales cannot be picked if they are not playing for a Welsh region.

But the rule does not apply to the likes of Holmes, who won the last of his three Wales caps in a World Cup warm-up last year, as the 27-year-old signed his club contract before making his Test debut.

Wales coach Wayne Pivac, however, wants players to be home-based so he can have the maximum amount of time with them rather than the minimum permitted under World Rugby regulations if they stay at English clubs.

Holmes joined Leicester from second-tier English side Yorkshire Carnegie ahead of the 2017/18 season and won his first Wales cap, against Tonga, in November 2018.

"His progression in Leicester, since arriving from the Championship, to international has been well earned and, at his request, we have chosen not to stand in the way of Jonah's move to Wales to further his Test career," said Tigers director of rugby Geordan Murphy.

Meanwhile Leicester said they had signed Scotland centre Matt Scott from Edinburgh for the 2020/21 season.

The 30-year-old, who won the last of his 39 caps two years ago, is in his second spell with the Scottish capital club after a stint in England with Gloucester.

All major rugby union worldwide is currently suspended because of Covid-19.

Leicester are currently second bottom in the Premiership but won't be relegated, with basement club Saracens having already been assured of demotion after they were docked a huge 105 points for salary cap breaches.

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