WRU regional cut

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jgriffin
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WRU regional cut

Post by jgriffin »

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... y-23866575
Mooted some years ago, and still staggeringly unpopular as whatever they do flies in the face of regional loyalties and contraction of leagues below as clubs go under.
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Old Hob
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by Old Hob »

This "Northern development side" idea has been around for years. There is an excellent stadium in Colwyn Bay which is where it is supposed to be but, if the WRU can't make money in its traditional heartlands just how likely is it to succeed in a place where rugby support is thin, at best?
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wigworth
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by wigworth »

Welsh rugby has puzzled me for some time as to how their international team has been able to perform so well despite the regions being so poor, the only achievement of any note that comes to mind is Scarlets winning the league a few years back. No Welsh team has even had a sniff of winning the Heineken Cup for must be 10 years or so, where is the disconnect coming from then between international and club level? Is it as simple as regional coaching not being up to it, or a lack of money?
TigerFeetSteve
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by TigerFeetSteve »

They announced this a day after Pontypool RFC absolutely slated them for the WRU management of the top tier of games...

http://pontypoolrugby.co.uk/news-articl ... rematurely
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johnthegriff
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by johnthegriff »

The Welsh got things wrong at the start of professionalism, they forced the amalgamation of traditional rivals to create provincial teams with some fans following the new team others preferring to stay loyal to their former club if they survived the lower leagues. Given time I think outside money would have been invested in the old clubs and support would have grown.
I believe that now the best thing for Welsh Rugby would be for their clubs to hold talks with Premiership Rugby about forming a two tier Premiership with promotion and relegation, we currently have 13 Premiership teams add in ambitious Championship sides like Ealing, Doncaster, Pirates, Jersey, Bedford and Coventry with Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, Llanelli, Bridgend, Pontypridd and a few other possibilities and we could easily have two strong divisions with a viable regional third tier.
Tiglon
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by Tiglon »

wigworth wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 8:57 am Welsh rugby has puzzled me for some time as to how their international team has been able to perform so well despite the regions being so poor, the only achievement of any note that comes to mind is Scarlets winning the league a few years back. No Welsh team has even had a sniff of winning the Heineken Cup for must be 10 years or so, where is the disconnect coming from then between international and club level? Is it as simple as regional coaching not being up to it, or a lack of money?
Clubs from other nations have had the money to supplement their homegrown players with international stars.

Also with strength in depth. The Wales national team has often had a very strong 23 or so which enables them to compete on the international stage, but there isn't as much quality behind that as there is in England, Ireland or France, so that 23 gets spread thinly around the regions (after the best stroll off for more money in England or France).

So, at any given time, the best 5 Welsh players probably aren't playing in Wales, below the national squad the quality is not the same as other nations and the best of the imports go to other countries.
wigworth
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by wigworth »

Tiglon wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 11:13 am
wigworth wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 8:57 am Welsh rugby has puzzled me for some time as to how their international team has been able to perform so well despite the regions being so poor, the only achievement of any note that comes to mind is Scarlets winning the league a few years back. No Welsh team has even had a sniff of winning the Heineken Cup for must be 10 years or so, where is the disconnect coming from then between international and club level? Is it as simple as regional coaching not being up to it, or a lack of money?
Clubs from other nations have had the money to supplement their homegrown players with international stars.

Also with strength in depth. The Wales national team has often had a very strong 23 or so which enables them to compete on the international stage, but there isn't as much quality behind that as there is in England, Ireland or France, so that 23 gets spread thinly around the regions (after the best stroll off for more money in England or France).

So, at any given time, the best 5 Welsh players probably aren't playing in Wales, below the national squad the quality is not the same as other nations and the best of the imports go to other countries.
So a lack of money and poor planning as John has mentioned seems to be the cause, but how do they fix this? I am guessing that the WRU are so dependant on the international fixtures to make money there is little else they can do except scrapping central contracts that could realistically solve their financial issues. Getting rid of one region might put a band aid over the issue for a while but it does not solve the underlying problem that the regions can't wash their face financially, which to be fair not many clubs can.

I am sure a solution is out there and like John said it might be mutually beneficial for the RFU and WRU to get together and try work out something out to try and get the Championship combined with the Welsh clubs to form a better second division.
mol2
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Re: WRU regional cut

Post by mol2 »

So, are they assuming that these players will sign for English cubs? Or play in the national second tier competition?
Will the English clubs be happy to do so and continue to lose them for the international window? Or will they tie them into contracts that relinquish international selection. It’s one thing signing a top level player and accepting they will be away in the Autumn and 6N times, but for a player on the fringes?
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