WRU chief executive Roger Lewis has hinted that Welsh rugby might be cut from four to three sides as the country looks to stop a recent player exodus.
The departures of Mike Phillips, Gethin Jenkins and Luke Charteris and future exits of Dan Lydiate and Jamie Roberts are a real cause for concern.
Financially the Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Dragons and Ospreys have been behind their Top 14 rivals in terms of spending power, which recently has brought growing concern over whether they can keep hold of their stars. And Lewis is apparently looking at different proposals to halt the drain.
"The minimum to me must be three teams," Lewis revealed to the Sunday Times. "Two is far too few and four is preferable."
It would be likely that the Dragons are many peoples' and pundits' choice as first on the list after being the basement Welsh region in the previous seven seasons in the Celtic League.
Lewis continued: "The Welsh Rugby Union has to take a far greater responsibility and therefore control over professional rugby within Wales."
"This is no criticism of the regions; this is merely my view. A successful Wales playing at the Millennium Stadium drives rugby."
Comments
Sincero says...
@cymro- I'd might have responded to your puerile ramblings with a biting retort, but then you seem to have choked on a turkey bone, so I suppose you got yours!
Posted 16:53 25th December 2012
BiggyFint says...
If you remove the incentive of playing for your national side from the equation then it comes down to whether a players loyalty to his region outweighs the huge financial reward of playing in France. You can't build anything sustainable on a shaky foundation. The success of the regions should drive the national side. Wales just has to bite the bullet and stop selecting foreign based players or at least bias selection heavily in favor of Welsh based players.
Posted 13:20 25th December 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
3 regions: Ospreys, London Welsh and the Lannelli Blues.
Posted 12:01 25th December 2012
gowalesgo says...
jontheref
Cardiff City and Swansea City 20,000+ each every week
Posted 10:50 25th December 2012
cymro says...
@Sincero: You're such a 2-hat.
Nadolig Llawen pawb, a blwyddyn newydd dda i chi gyd,
Posted 23:48 24th December 2012
Sincero says...
Ok, makemehappy- I doled it out, I deserved some back. Sorry to rant, but you do wind me up- I love rugby, and I hate to see it threatened in Wales of all places. Was hoping for some kind of response... anger... anything other than apathy. It's ridiculous. The Welsh are supposed to love the game, so what the hell is going on? If you go down the tubes, then the rugby world is poorer for it, and you're also sinking us all in the Celtic league to boot. So please sort it out. And have a merry Christmas, mate.
Posted 23:43 24th December 2012
jontheref says...
Read thje article.
Four is preferable.
Full interview talked about one as a development.
No prizes for guessing.
Yes, the Blues!
two of the three remaining to get better funding, depending on results.
pretty big carrot there!
All four will have to compete, and could interchange positions and funding.
Good incentive.
for the richard who says football is better supported, what are the figures?
Posted 23:12 24th December 2012
TVaddict says...
@Sincero
I thought you hated the English, what's with all the Welsh hate too?
Posted 21:51 24th December 2012
Isograford says...
Welsh clubs have been responsible for taking away some of New Zealands players who could be contributing their experience to players back home, and now that a bigger fish has come along, they're scrambling themselves.
Welcome to what you've been doing to us for years, not fun is it?
Posted 18:50 24th December 2012
makemehappy says...
Interesting post by Sincero. Some truths but a complete rant too. Clearly there is a problem with the performances of the welsh regions and in some cases their identity. Still work in progress. No evidence that those of us who enjoy rugby should go watch football. Sincero must be a big soccer fan to have such a knowlege of the game!
Posted 16:54 24th December 2012
Scan says...
NO! The Celtic Warriors, Border Reivers and Aironi killed themselves but please don't kill off the Dragons!
Posted 13:10 24th December 2012
Sincero says...
"A successful Wales playing at the Millennium Stadium drives rugby."
Not really the case, though, as Wales won the Slam this year playing at a packed M.S., and yet the regions still played to the usual three men and a dog.
Basically, he's suggesting the Welsh supporters only show up for test matches, and only if Wales are doing well, while they let their regions rot and don't give a fig. Cracking standard of support from a 'country' where rugby is claimed as the 'national sport'.
The hardcore support for Wales, and the financial input, seems to come mainly from portly valley lasses dressed as daffodils and trying to get their chubby mugs on the telly. Once Wales start propping up the 6N table again, even they will find better things to do.
And now you're considering going from your original 5 regions to 3? Soccer gets far more punters through the turnstiles in Wales now than rugby, and far bigger t.v. spectatorship. Therefore, why bother with this death by a thousand cuts? Just admit you're in love with nancyball, that you don't really have that much of an interest in rugby, and that you're not proper nation anyway, and pack the lot in? Watch the English samanthaball in the Province of Western England and be done with it. All this 'oh we love arr rhugbai in Wales, boyo...' is a load of B.S., and the figures and balance sheets prove it.
Posted 13:04 24th December 2012
makemehappy says...
Its clear that realistically there are only 3 regions in Wales. Hardly anyone left at the Dragons that could play for Wales. I'm curious how they've been spending their funding at the Dragons. If not on player, then what are they doing?
Posted 11:24 24th December 2012
gowalesgo says...
The Dragons are a joke to be fair
Posted 10:47 24th December 2012