Dan Biggar set to sign on for 2019 World Cup

Dan Biggar is finalising a new deal to stay in Wales for another crack at the World Cup in 2019.
The fly-half, who almost engineered a quarter-final victory over the Springboks, is understood to have reached a verbal agreement over extending his dual contract with Wales and the Ospreys. His current deal runs out at the end of the season.
The WRU have moved quickly to pre-empt offers from the wealthiest clubs in England and France.
Biggar, due to resume Pro 12 service for the Ospreys in Glasgow this afternoon, is now Wales’ undisputed No. 1 choice at No. 10.
One of his predecessors, skills coach Neil Jenkins, describes him as “a massive player for Wales, a real go-to man” who “takes the team by the scruff of the neck and makes good decisions”.
Wales believe that at just turned 26 he will get even better. “He has the desire to be the best in the world,” says Jenkins. “And he’s certainly going the right way about it.”
Barring an 11th-hour hitch, the re-signing of Biggar, right, could mark a turning of the tide in the Welsh struggle to stop the exodus of their best players.
Similar steps are being taken in respect of Alun-Wyn Jones, the second row colossus who, like Biggar, is out of contract next summer.
Jones, whose 100th Test followed within weeks of his 30th birthday, is young enough to have one more World Cup in his locker.
But while he and Biggar are top priority for the WRU, their agenda also includes the recapture of Leigh Halfpenny.
Whether the 26-year-old full back plays for Toulon again is a matter of some doubt. The French club fear that the knee injury which eliminated their Welsh Lion from the World Cup will keep him out of action for virtually the entire season.
Toulon claim they have an option on Halfpenny for another season after this one. Returning to Wales would mean taking a hefty cut from the £600,000-a-year salary paid by the triple European Champions.
The WRU are adamant they will not be drawn into an auction for any player but that the home comforts of a less demanding schedule are designed to prolong the Test careers of their contracted players.
Their refusal to approve Taulupe Faletau’s transfer to Bath is a sign that they mean business. His Newport-based employers, the Dragons, privately argue that the decision is bad for their business, costing them a transfer fee of up to £200,000.
As revealed by The Rugby Paper four months ago, they wanted to cash in now rather than wait until the end of the season when Faletau, at £300,000-a-year their highest-paid player, can walk away for nothing as a free agent.
Already a veteran of more than 50 Tests at the age of 24, the No.8 has been offered at least £100,000-a-year more by Bath.
Having insisted that Faletau honours his domestic commitment, the WRU will renew attempts to persuade him to sign a dual contract which he rejected last season.
PETER JACKSON