Welsh rugby in crisis: Rugby clubs around Wales deliver their verdict on WRU ...

At a time when Welsh rugby finds itself in a dire mess, the focus is very much on the WRU and four regions.

But what about the clubs who form the Union? What do the people on the ground make of a crisis that is tearing the game apart?

WalesOnline’s Andy Howell spoke to officials from 10 clubs, two each from the four professional regions and two from north Wales, whose flagship team in Division One out-fit RGC 1404, about some of Welsh rugby’s key issues.

They were picked at random. Their answers make fascinating reading.

The clubs unanimously called for central contracts, while also criticising the regions for showing little interest in them.

The officials also urged the WRU to be more transparent, pointing out it works on behalf of its member clubs, and warned the constant bickering threatened to further damage the sport.

YSTRADGYNLAIS PRESS OFFICER HUW THOMAS

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“We don’t seem to know what’s going on. Our big concern is, if the regions get more money from the WRU, what happens to our pot. Will any extra money the regions get come from our pot?”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“It’s extremely limited from the Ospreys. We had a bit of an eye-opener when our former player Owen Williams went from the Scarlets to Leicester Tigers.

“Leicester contacted us as a thank you for developing Owen and have been outstanding. They paid for a bus to take 50 of our youngsters to a match at Welford Road, gave them free tickets, a trainings session, a tour of the ground and they got to meet the players.

“In contrast, another of our products, Dan Baker, is at the Ospreys and we’ve had nothing from them.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“As a season ticket-holder with the Ospreys I don’t want to see them leave. The regions were formed for Wales to be successful and that’s happened with four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams, which is great, and a World Cup semi-final. Winning the Heineken Cup is of secondary importance.

“We have got some exceptional youngsters coming through, as we’ve seen with Wales’ results at the under-20 Junior World Championship, and the exodus should create opportunities for them to play.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“Yes, it seems to work in Ireland and in the southern hemisphere. Only two major countries in the world, France and England, favour a club system. But, since regions came in here, Wales have got better and England and France worse.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“Massively. At youth level there has been a huge drop-out rate. We had three senior teams 10 years ago, now we have one. It’s the same at other clubs.

“The rise of Swansea and Cardiff City hasn’t helped. I work at a school and six years ago most of the children were wearing Ospreys jerseys and there heroes were players like Shane Williams. Now it’s Spanish football players.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“It’s difficult to keep everybody happy. At the top it’s very secretive and they haven’t really let us in and it’s the clubs who are the WRU. But Wales are winning so it must be doing something right although it would be nice if they took so-called minor internationals to grounds like the Liberty Stadium.”

WRU Chief Executive Roger Lewis

 

LLANDAFF CHAIRMAN NIGEL PERRIS

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“It’s sad. I have got sympathy for the regions because they don’t appear to know what they’re committing themselves to if they sign a new participation agreement.

“On the hand, I’m not necessarily a great fan of the regional brand because the of the type of rugby they play and the lack of help they give to the club structure.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“The support we get from the Blues is negligible. Sam Warburton is our designated player this season and he’s been absolutely fantastic the two or three times he’s come to us. But I put that down to the individual, not the organisation that sends him.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“I would like to see them stay here because it will impact on the quality of the regions and, hence, the crowds they draw. But, having said, the people who go away, if they are still allowed to play for Wales, might become better players.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“It’s inevitable they come in.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“It’s not just players and the number of teams falling by the wayside but referees as well. My club was putting out five sides 20 years ago, now we’re putting out two, three on a good Saturday.

“There’s less teams playing than ever and less volunteers running clubs. Cardiff’s refs did a survey about five years ago and found, on average, about five volunteers per club putting on games, from the fixture secretary to the coach, to the rub-a-dub man, to the guy who put the padding on the match-posts.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“Looking at the results of the national team, it’s doing pretty well. But that’s a simplistic answer. Unfortunately, it seems to be driven by reducing the debt and that’s not necessarily the best way of going about things.”

Roger Lewis and regional representatives

 

BANGOR SECRETARY DAVID DUNN

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“We’re keeping a watching brief from a distance, seeing how things unfold.

How much contact do you have with your region?

“We used to be under the umbrella of the Scarlets but they soon pulled out of playing up here. Now we’re expected to have an allegiance to RGC1404 – it’s got the pick of our junior and youth players.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“We are pretty concerned. We would like them to stay in Wales because it’s important to have your best players promoting your product.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“We would do.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“We have suffered over the last decade and we’re just starting to make a recovery at Bangor. We’re doing all right because we have got a strong junior and youth section.

“The weakness is teams come and go, and can’t fulfill fixtures. If people stopped paying players in the lower leagues it would be better because, at the moment, the best go where the money is. When it runs out they go somewhere else and the club they were at can struggle to field a team.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“As regards supporting a club like Bangor, it’s doing a great job. I would be concerned if they had to put more money into the top-flight regions because the likes of us would suffer because we rely on the financial support of the WRU to get us through the year.

Gallery: The players who have already left Wales

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LLANHILLETH SECRETARY DAVID WENT

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“The union needs to stay in control.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“Unfortunately, it’s very minimal with the Dragons. They send us a few complimentary ticket for home games, usually the ones they can’t sell!

“We should be one family. When the game went regional the clubs in each were expecting to be involved in the running of it.

“But it seems to me the people running the regions are only interested in one thing – their team. It’s an Oliver Twist situation, you give them extra money and they put their hands out and want more.

“I’d like to know how much money the regions generate themselves. Perhaps the penny has finally dropped with the WRU that the regions aren’t very good at what they do.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“It’s a chicken and egg situation. It’s bad they’re going but the ironic thing is they’ll probably become better players for it.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“Most definitely. Wales should follow the administrative and rugby policies of New Zealand, a country of much the same population, but which is either the favourite or second favourite for every World Cup which is played.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“Very, we’ve had clubs folding in Blaenau Gwent for this very reason. Somebody has got to grab hold and do something about it. If the regions got their act together it would help.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“They’re probably achieving most of their targets results-wise at international level and from a financial point of view.

“But they need to look at the bottom end of the game and generate ways of getting more people playing it. If the WRU could do that we would be in a good position.

“We keep on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro but we’ve got to aiming to conquer Everest and winning the World Cup. If we use New Zealand as an example, it’s an achievable goal.”

The regions continued their campaign against the WRU with ‘Protect Our Game’ banners ahead of the Ospreys v Scarlets derby on Friday

 

NANTYFFYLLON SECRETARY BERNARD COLSTON

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“It’s disappointing but the regions don’t deserve anything. We’re in the Ospreys regions but they have done nothing to engage with us.

“The regions need to get sorted on the commercial side and I say that as a former sponsor of the Ospreys.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“I had my first contact with a rugby development officer from the Ospreys region, albeit one employed by the WRU, in 12 months on Friday morning.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“I’m disappointed but aren’t concerned because they will probably play better rugby, certainly in France and perhaps in England. It’s a short career and players have got to maximise their earning potential so you can’t blame them for cashing in on their ability.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“Yes, it’s logical. The regions are paying their price of their own shortcomings over the years.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“Very. As a club we have develped our junior and mini section over the last 10 years and that’s going okay.

“But our second team at senior level has played just four fixtures this season because we can’t find opposition.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“In general, particularly good but they have put a gun to the heads of the clubs in making them sell international tickets early in the season. We had to commit to Six Nations tickets last August, before we had sold our allocation for the autumn internationals.

“As a club we lost money on tickets for the first time in 2012, on the game with New Zealand.

“WRU chief executive Roger Lewis is as bit of a showman but he’s done a reasonable job.”

BUILTH WELLS CHAIRMAN AND FORMER WALES PROP JEREMY PUGH

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“They both want the same thing but neither seems to see a commonsense way forward. They can’t afford to match the salaries being paid in France and the union is right not to go back to the Chequebook Charlie days.

“It’s all about power and control, and people need to grow up.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“I have as much as I want with the Blues. The problem we have is none of the development of the younger age group takes place north of Pontypridd and they expect 12-year-olds to make the journey south twice a week to train.

“By the time many of the kids are 18 or 19 they have had a gutsful of it.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“I’m not bothered because there’s nothing that can be done about it in terms of finances because they just aren’t here. Toulon’s budget is probably nearly that of Welsh rugby’s, that’s the reality.

“The only way of stopping it is to say: ‘If you choose to play outside of Wales, we won’t pick you for the national team’. Then it would be up to individuals to decide which was the more important to them. It’s the one New Zealand uses to keep its stars at home and it’s our only bargaining chip.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“It’s the only way forward because you can’t spend what you haven’t got. There has to be rigid regulation.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“Our junior section has grown to about 280 members but it’s the pathway at club level from bottom to top which is a major concern. The decline in numbers at senior level is alarming.

“You can watch Cardiff City or Swansea City with a passion because the football is exciting to watch. But watch a regional rugby game and, if Nigel Owens isn’t refereeing it, the man in the middle tends to whistle it off the park.

“You can’t expect people to keep paying good money to watch if the whistle is dominating. They want to be entertained and the sooner referees realised that the better.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“I’d like to see more use of the stadium for non-rugby events. Since Paul Sergeant left as its boss, it seems they’ve dropped off. Where are the big boxing bouts it used to hold?

“I remember the late Vernon Pugh showing me the plans for the stadium when I visited his home and him saying it would be non-rugby events that would finance the rugby.

“There’s also money issues for the club, how it’s distributed. When I came back to Builth from Neath we used to have 500-600 watching us, now we’re lucky to get 50 men and 10 dogs.

“My other gripe is the WRU isn’t transparent – it would be nice if it shared its plans with the clubs because it’s our organisation, not some private company.”

PONTYBEREM CHAIRMAN JOHN GRIFFITH

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“It’s about time they put their heads together and sorted it out because it’s having a detrimental effect on everybody. People are fed up with the bickering. They need to plan together and agree where the funding is going to come from.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“Not a lot officially. Fortunately, one or two people from the village are employed by the Scarlets so we are able to contact them.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“I can understand why they’re going but it’s a sad reflection of the off-the-field turmoil here. Players have a short shelf-life and the French have upped the price.

“If we can’t match the salaries on offer elsewhere, they will leave.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“Yes but I can understand the position of the regions because they’ve had to pay out big wages to try and keep top players.

“The knock-on effect of the stars leaving is less people will watch the regions because it’s the big names who put backsides on seats.

“People go to watch the best players and, as it is, they haven’t been playing half the time.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“It’s of great concern to us at grass-roots level. People, the children of today, have more choice about what they want to do so the game has got to be made as attractive as it can be for the youngsters.

“The schools were a good breeding ground but not as many of them seem to be playing on Saturday mornings. Now if you’ve got a youngster who’s any good, they’re enrolled in an academy.

“Let’s be honest about it, the number of youth teams has declined drastically over the last 10 years. The game isn’t in as rude a health as some make out.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“Perhaps it would like to be able to do a little bit more than it’s doing but maybe it hasn’t got the funding. In my opinion, it should do a little bit more.

“I can understand why the regions have refused to sign a new participation agreement, because the detail wasn’t there.”

PONTYPOOL SECRETARY COLIN TUCKWELL

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“I can understand where the regions are coming from on this because not much seems to have been done to alleviate the problem.

“The union doesn’t appear to be listening to the most important people of all, the supporters.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“We’ve got a better relationship now with the Dragons – we’ve been in talks with them about different things. It was about time because there hadn’t been much of one since the inception of the regions 11 years ago.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“It’s a big blow but I can understand why it’s happening. If it carries on the kids won’t have any heroes to follow with the regions. It’s tragic this has been allowed to take place.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“Yes, it’s the only way. They should have been brought in by the WRU when union went professional in 1995. And another chance was missed with the advent of the regions in 2003.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“It’s not only on the playing side but on the administrative side while attendances have plummeted. A lot of experienced people have walked away from the sport in disgruntlement and many clubs are being run by just a few people.

“It’s looking very difficult for many clubs to continue, not just in the lower divisions but higher up the leagues as well.

“Our average gate at Pontypool Park is about 800. Recently we played top-of-the-table Ebbw Vale in a Gwent derby but only 1,200 at most turned up.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“Poor!”

KIDWELLY SECRETARY STUART NORTHCOTE

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“It needs resolving. I want to keep the regions but I don’t think it should be strictly on their terms.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“Because we’re in Division One West we get Scarlets Academy players coming to us for experience and we have contact with the regions at that level.

“We do get invited to Scarlets games. The Scarlets are doing a good job developing their own players and so are the Blues, promoting Dale McIntosh to their coaching staff from Pontypridd and signing Chris Dicomidis from them. That’s how the structure should work.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“Every time a major player signs with a club in France or England it’s another nail in our coffin – it’s killing the game here.

“The only time Parc y Scarlets is sold out is on a Boxing Day for the derby with the Ospreys and that’s because many of the spectators are there for the occasion.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“Definitely, if it would enable us to hang on to our star players.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“Very much so. We are struggling to put a second team out and we haven’t got a youth side this season. Second team rugby is dying in this part of the country.

“On the plus side, our women’s team isn’t bad and our junior section is doing well.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“I can see the WRU need to get its debt down. Nobody wants debt but the constant bickering is getting people down and they’re losing interest in the game.

“Then there’s the issue of tickets and the selling policy for internationals. If they know they aren’t going to sell 20-30 thousand seats they should give them away in the schools, speculate to accumulate as they say.”

COLWYN BAY CHAIRMAN ANDY LEE

What are your thoughts on the dispute between the WRU and the regions?

“I just wish they could sort it out properly once and for all because it’s a ridiculous situation. They should lock them in a room until they’ve thrashed out an agreement.”

How much contact do you have with your region?

“Our region is RGC 1404 and we’re developing quite a nice relationship with them. We’ve made quite a determined effort this year to do that and they’ve started to play some development matches on our pitches.”

How concerned are you by the exodus of Welsh stars to clubs in France and England?

“Less people will go to watch the regions if the stars have gone.”

Would you like to see central contracts introduced by the WRU?

“I think so. It seems to work elsewhere. Some of the people I have to spoken to in other countries say it works well.”

How concerned are you by falling playing numbers?

“It’s probably a different story in north Wales. Up here we have had a number of new clubs spring up over the last couple of decades.

“At Colwyn Bay we have 10 junior teams and nearly 300 children while our youth team is doing very well but, at senior level, we’re struggling to put out two sides a week.”

What sort of job do you think the WRU is doing?

“I’m not so sure it’s doing as good a job as it could be. I don’t know Roger Lewis personally but I do have some concerns about some of the things he’s been doing.

“I think the WRU is trying to be too aggressive. It needs to talk more.”

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2532844/CHRIS-FOY-Welsh-rugby-vandals-adrift-fantasy-land-Sinbad-breaks-mould.html

Welsh rugby in crisis: Rugby clubs around Wales deliver their verdict on WRU ...