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Opinion

6 reasons why Welsh rugby is broken

25 Jul 2017 0 minute read

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JWE
JWE
6 years ago

Absolutely outstanding article tackling the deep problems in Welsh rugby. Many of these were discussed at my recent end of season Welsh rugby district dinner evening. Ardderchog!

Jack
Jack
6 years ago

How do you fix it then? There are no solutions provided by the author in this article.

Also it’s really long and quite boring and I had to laugh at the idea of the M4 being some kind of untraversable barrier.

welshpaddler
6 years ago

Is the elephant in the room, rugby is no longer the sport of choice either to watch or play?
On a small but annoying area which keeps me away is the ” necessity ” of playing “music” at every break in play. Scarlets are you listening!!?

Intolerant Of Bullshlt
Intolerant Of Bullshlt
6 years ago

Why not answer some of the questions about your article posted on;

http://nugwlad.freeforums.net/thread/4441/more-powell

Would be interesting… if of course you can answer them and debate.

Dai Sais
Dai Sais
6 years ago

Good article, everything about rugby in Wales just feels stale ATM. I would love to see them go the FAW route and do some interesting marketing and make better use of the Welsh language.

At the risk of sounding churlish, I would also love to see them ditch the three feathers and replace them with a more modern, positive Welsh symbol. New kit in the autumn, perfect chance, I won’t hold my breathe.

Wilt
Wilt
6 years ago

Just remember when the M4 Relief road is built there will be a region north of it

leigh richards
6 years ago

We’ll probably never know whether the moffet plan for regional rugby was the right way for the domestic game in wales to go – tho the architect himself had some interesting things to say on it last year http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/david-moffetts-stunning-admission-regional-11709056. But i guess we are where we are and there’s no way of going back to the old club structure which welsh rugby was based upon. But certainly it’s been sad to see previously great historic clubs like swansea, neath, bridgend and pontypridd reduced to their current status scrambling around in the in front of a few hundred people in the… Read more »

brighty
brighty
6 years ago

1 – The complaint is that the northern half of the country is disenfranchised from professional rugby. This ignores the fact that before professional rugby there wasn’t a significant North Wales based rugby team. This isn’t a problem created by pro rugby, it is a reflection of the location of consumers, interest, etc. So by extension the assumption that we are missing out on a financial bonanza from the North is a completely baseless claim that ignores facts and history. 2 – This takes the writers own prejudices and extends them, without any critical thinking, to all rugby fans. Cardiff… Read more »

leigh richards
6 years ago
Reply to  brighty

i think the author of the opinion piece is calling for the wru to look to create a professional franchise in north wales – we are all aware there wasnt a very strong club base there pre professional rugby. But that is no reason why the wru shouldnt look to establish a regional team there – not unless you think its okay that for a large chunk of the welsh population their nearest professional team is over a 100 miles away at the other end of the country. And ‘cardiff’ (notice you don’t call them the ‘blues’) clearly arent being… Read more »

brighty
brighty
6 years ago
Reply to  leigh richards

Leigh, your misconception is what “regional rugby” is. It is not a system of Wales wide representation in the same manner that the Welsh rugby team is. So your proposal for what it should mean doesn’t align with what it is and will be. There will be no north Wales region until it can fund itself to the same level as the teams in the south – which goes back to my first point that the teams in the south are operating off existing and proven bases, the teams in the north never create such a base. There is no… Read more »

leigh richards
6 years ago
Reply to  brighty

cheers for the reply brighty, geraint’s opinion piece has prompted a good robust discussion among welsh rugby fans like ourselves. I hope geraint is following this thread and comments on some of the things we have all raised. Just a couple of points -You say “There will be no north Wales region until it can fund itself to the same level as the teams in the south” – but teams in the south aren’t funding themselves! The dragons would have folded without a wru takeover, the scarlets would have folded in the past without the money they get from the… Read more »

brighty
brighty
6 years ago
Reply to  leigh richards

Leigh, thank you also for the reply. I honestly don’t want to only build Cardiff. However, given the inability for North Wales to sustain a major side in 100 years of pre-pro rugby I don’t see how starting one up there now will generate the necessary funds. Cardiff does fund itself as shown by the fact it is still there. Yes, it has benefactors ploughing huge sums in but they are doing this. Investing for the future I hope. Without this they would no longer be there so I don’t see how a North Wales side could do the same… Read more »

Shanksy
Shanksy
6 years ago
Reply to  brighty

Your boss does not share your optimism (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/we-heading-car-crash-regional-12400972). The word coming from Cardiff is that, unless the Athletic Club give them the ground for 100+ years, there is no future worth having for the Cardiff Blouses at all. Eff all valleys fans support the Blouses, and you know that. As funny as your diatribe was, Geraint is not one of us. Cardiff fans try and blame all your failings on Pontypridd. Geraint, whether you agree with him or not, and I would rather close down the current failed teams and start again rather than trying to update them like he… Read more »

brighty
brighty
6 years ago
Reply to  Shanksy

“Eff all Valleys fans….”. There is no such thing as a Valleys fan. Your valley, Rhondda or Cynon, has nothing to do with mine. Skipping over that misconception of yours, I’ll repeat my initial statement that people from the valleys do support Cardiff. It is a fact, one you clearly do not like, but one that clearly bothers you so much that you’re prepared to pretend it isn’t happening. I’ve read that article and it clearly doesn’t agree with Geraint’s points. I can’t really see in my post where my “optimism” is. What I can see in yours is an… Read more »

brighty
brighty
6 years ago
Reply to  Shanksy

As for the rest of your ranting nonsense. Blame Ponty for all of Cardiff’s failings? Ponty are insignificant, they have nothing to do with Cardiff’s problems. They couldn’t influence anything so why would any Cardiff fan blame them for anything? Sounds like you’re one of those Ponty “fans” who assumes there is some sort of an issue coming at you from the city. I repeat, we don’t spend a moment thinking about you. It’s clear you have issues with Cardiff – the sub primary school name calling, the dismissal of any contrary points of view as “writing rubbish”. This is… Read more »

Shanksy
Shanksy
6 years ago
Reply to  brighty

Same old obnoxious Cardiff arrogance from the same old suspects. The only way large numbers of valley folk can attend the Cardiff Blues matches is if nobody from Cardiff and the Vale is attending. Cardiff are a busted flush. Even the Pie man now realises this. Why he wants to get his hands on the Arms Park site and offload the massively lossmaking rugby team to the WRU. There is no kudos in leading a permanently rubbish rugby team, short of fans and sponsors.

brighty
brighty
6 years ago
Reply to  Shanksy

Nonsensical response there “Shanksy” with the usual cliched prejudice and without answering any of my points. “The only way large numbers of valley folk can attend the Cardiff Blues matches is if nobody from Cardiff and the Vale is attending.” – this makes no sense at all. What are you saying here – “valley folk” won’t mix with people from Cardiff&Vale? Who knows what you mean, your reply makes no sense at all but your opening half sentence makes it clear – you have a significant problem with Cardiff. You assume arrogance. You can’t stand Cardiff. This makes all of… Read more »

Gareth Wynn
6 years ago

NZ rugby will be sustained by the recent Lions tour for a while longer, but is, itself, out of necessity, moving away from the model espoused here. The loss of SA TV money to SuperRugby and the financial pulling power of French and English clubs will destabilise NZ rugby in the years ahead, so greater private investment is being sought to keep the All Blacks afloat (sound familiar?). Advocating the NZ model for Wales (or, indeed, anywhere but New Zealand) is like prescribing ‘a course of leeches’ for any and every malady. Whatever issues Welsh rugby has – and a… Read more »

Shanksy
Shanksy
6 years ago
Reply to  Gareth Wynn

Insane. Llanelli and Cardiff are financially at death’s door and the WRU had to buy the Dragons and Rodney Parade to save Newport and keep professional rugby in Gwent. And stop Rodney Parade becoming a supermarket. You’re in complete denial mate!

Gareth Wynn
6 years ago
Reply to  Shanksy

Your reports of their (imminent) demise appear to have been exaggerated, Shanksy. ;o)

A joined-up approach and revised RSA will continue to stabilise and build on the platform, helping to deliver a sustainable future for the pro game in Wales, despite a small band of embittered and/or self-disenfranchised ‘commenters’ who would rather see it all torn down in order to spite the current ‘regions’. That would result in a fallow period which would make the Great Welsh Rugby Famine of 1978-2005 seem like a blip.

Mairwen Thomas
Mairwen Thomas
6 years ago

A very good summary of a number of the very difficult problems that ‘the powers that be’ cannot seem to resolve. I cannot help feeling that things will get worse before they get better. But Welsh rugby cannot go on like this at the regions/’super’ clubs.

Justin R
Justin R
6 years ago

Having moved to New Zealand in 1993, it has been very sad to see how Welsh rugby has failed to adapt to professional rugby. If it was decided that 4 teams were the affordable number of Welsh teams, I guess it was predictable that Newport, Swansea, Llanelli and especially Cardiff would try and take over the system and impose themselves on the rest of Welsh rugby. Screw everybody else was always their attitude, apart from perhaps Swansea. The arrogance runs deep. And entirely predictable that the result would be a dog’s dinner of a system. I hope Welsh rugby finally… Read more »

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