Turner: Way was open for Charvis

7:05pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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NEWPORT-GWENT Dragons coach Paul Turner reacted angrily to claims that he snubbed Wales coach Warren Gatland by not releasing Dragons captain Colin Charvis for a training camp in Ireland last week.

It was suggested that Turner twice refused permission for Charvis, pictured, to attend the camp because of the need for him to stay with the Dragons for a crucial final week of the Magners League season.

But that is steadfastly denied by Turner, and he is backed up by Gatland, understood to be annoyed by the claims Charvis was held back and wanting to avoid being drawn into a conflict with one of the four regional coaches.

Turner says that permission was refused for Charvis to go to Ireland at the last minute after Gatland was hit by injuries only for the first part of the week because the Dragons still needed a point from the game against the Ospreys.

At that stage they were still facing the prospect of a Heineken Cup play-off until ERC disqualified the Italians because they could not meet the May 31 deadline for the match.

"Had Wales asked for Colin on the Tuesday night or the Wednesday they could have had him, but no-one asked," said Turner.

"I'll speak to Warren about this. Either someone made the story up, or the one hand doesn't know what the other is doing."

A Wales spokesman replied: "The Welsh camp had a conversation with Colin and the door was always open if he was available. But we fully understand if he committed to playing for the Dragons, we didn't expect a call.

"We have a great relationship with Paul Turner and can't understand why this has been so badly misinterpreted."

As it happened, Charvis led the Dragons to victories over a below- strength Ospreys team and a near full- strength Leinster side that enabled them to finish eighth in the table, above Ulster as well as Connacht.

And had it not been for an inferior bonus points tally the Dragons would have finished as the second best Welsh team behind league runners-up Cardiff Blues, above both the Ospreys and Llanelli Scarlets.

Charvis was brilliant in the glorious end-of-season victory over champions Leinster, and though now 35 and out of contract with the Dragons at the end of this month, it has led to calls from fans to keep him on at all costs.

Even at this late stage he has still not made a decision about his future, though he dropped a pretty broad hint in Friday night's programme when he wrote to fans: "See you next season (from the commentary box that is)" in a reference to his growing media work.

Charvis is now favoured to make the South African tour at the start of next month in view of injuries to three openside flankers, Martyn Williams, Robin Sowden-Taylor and Ben Lewis.

But Charvis could yet retain a role in the Dragons' set-up, either as a player or in a coaching/management role.

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