The forgotten north: the death of Welsh rugby

Nic Conner

It’s not unthinkable that, by 15 March next year, Wales might not only be aiming to beat England to avoid the Six Nations wooden spoon but also trying to halt a 16-match losing streak.

To date, Wales has not won a test match since 7 October 2023, when they defeated Georgia in the Rugby World Cup. Little wonder, then, that the Principality Stadium was only three-quarters full for the match against Australia on Sunday.

The national team’s failure is symptomatic of a faltering rugby structure. The four professional regions are struggling to secure wins, hindered by financial instability, which has impacted player retention.

It’s not just the pro game that’s affected; amateur clubs also find it challenging to sustain operations. Second-team matches are frequently cancelled due to a lack of players, and several community clubs have closed.

There is a growing concern over the declining number of young players taking up the sport. Around 40% of children in Wales now play football, making it more popular than rugby.

Football is now Wales’s favourite sport. A 2022 survey by Nielsen for UEFA showed that 47% of Welsh respondents identified football as their favourite sport, compared to 45% for rugby.

This marks a shift from 2019, when both sports were equally favoured at 43%.

Cultural phenomenon

Welsh football has become something of a cultural phenomenon. Kids want to wear the team kit – and, of course, the bucket hat. The popularity of the men’s football team, in part, lies in the representation of players from all parts of Wales: North, South, East, and West.

The Welsh rugby team, however, has just one player, Sam Wainwright, from a part of Wales north of Bannau Brycheiniog.

If rugby has a future in Wales, it must become a sport representing the whole nation.

But as the sport continues to struggle, it risks abandoning north Wales altogether. In 2012, the WRU announced north Wales would host home fixtures during the U20s 6 Nations in Colwyn Bay.

Then-WRU CEO Roger Lewis stated, “Uniting Wales as a nation has been at the heart of our ambition. I am so proud that, together, the Welsh Rugby Union, Conwy Council, and the Welsh Government are bringing the people of Wales together, united in our love of the game.”

In 2025, no professional rugby will be played north of the M4, as both U20 Six Nations fixtures are scheduled for Cardiff and Newport. This is despite over a decade of packed crowds for U20 matches in Colwyn Bay, which are comparable to those at Cardiff Arms Park.

Fan base

Wales U20 head coach Richard Whiffin commented, “It’s been great when we’ve been up in north Wales at Parc Eirias (Colwyn Bay) – we’ve had some great results and times there, with fantastic hospitality and support. But it’s great we’re now down south where we are looking to grow our fan base.”

This approach shows a clear strategy: to grow the fan base only in south Wales.

There is huge potential to grow the game in north Wales. While I’m not advocating for a professional team in the region in the short term, the WRU should aim to grow the game in the north to the point where it could eventually support a competitive professional team.

The North Wales region, Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC), has the largest population catchment at 820,000, surpassing the Dragons (583,000), Ospreys (529,000), Cardiff (494,000), and Scarlets (379,800).

While rugby has not historically been the main sport in the north, it’s growing, the RGC men are competitive in the Welsh Premier, attracting respectable crowds. RGC’s U18 and women’s teams regularly win against the other regions.

North Wales contributes a significant number of women and an increasing number of boys and girls at age-grade levels to the national team.

Ceiling

The WRU imposes a ceiling on rugby in north Wales. For example, I remember my pride in winning the Eryri Cup, the North Wales schools’ championship, in 2005.

A few years ago, I was taken aback when I walked into Cardiff Athletics Club and saw the enormous Dewar Shield—the Welsh schools’ trophy—in which schools from north Wales are not allowed to compete, how we would have loved the opportunity to contend for that trophy.

Nant Conwy, a club in the Conwy Valley, is a thriving rugby club. It has produced players for the women’s national team and recently added a third men’s team to meet growing demand in the area.

Its second team won its league, and the first team won Division One – North.

However, neither team can be promoted: the second team is prevented from advancing to avoid competing in the same league as the first team, and unlike other Division One champions, they are not permitted promotion into the WRU National Championship East or West.

No other sport or country would disregard 41% of its population.

If rugby is to have a future in Wales, it must be a sport for the whole country.

Nic Conner is a freelance writer based in the Conwy Valley.