Welsh plan to cut professional teams from four to three

[higgik]

Ah, the annual Taffies want to rearrange the deckchairs story.

Yeah, they do have only half the absolute population of Ireland, but that's not the entire story either. The population density around Newport, Swansea and Cardiff would be equivalent to Limerick and Belfast I'd reckon. [Lets leave the Dubs out of it as they are a shower anyway.]

Yet its Llanelli that has pretty much the best attendances of the 4 regions.

They've never really bought into the regions. Continual stories running the league (that they are seldom actually competitive in) down doesn't help. Nor does the continued espoused thing about attendances being bigger if they played the English clubs. If locality is the issue - how come the Welsh derby attendances are still ****?


Looking at the numbers, its clear that it is the biggest population centre that is the weakest link. Will they get rid of Cardiff Blues? Will they f**k. So what is the point?

True, the issue with Cardiff is that they can't attract any more support as they defiantly will not rename themselves and the parochial that is ruining Welsh rugby will not support a Cardiff team.
We have to start to realise professional sport is about money and if Cardiff is the team for that area then so be it.
Same for Newport and the fact that they had to keep the Newport name in the ***le.
If the WRU could attract money, then they would start again with the teams and offer them out to private finance to run as franchises.
Gwent Steelers
Cardiff Dragons
Glamorgan Ospreys
West Wales Warriors

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

A semi-relevant video and interesting history of pro rugby globally. Holds up Wales as a positive example but fails to state there are loads of other variables in success too (e.g. coaching, whether your scouting is socially inclusive, the extent of the impact of player drain, union finances etc).

 

[Bada-Bing!]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/61394143

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/61394143

The URC isnt working because there aren't many away fans? The NFL is dead too then using that logic.

Watching people talk about Welsh rugby is really strange to an outsider. I get the nostalgia for the club era (albeit a time when the national team were largely irrelevant as opposed to regular 6N champs) but the fixation on England and claim that fans in Swansea, Newport, Cardiff and Llanelli can't possibly feel an affinity to their team (but fans in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Belfast can) is a line of argument I can't get my head around at all. The casual disregard for killing pro rubgy in Swansea or Newport is also weird. Attendances a these teams is not that bad when you factor in they are poor. If they were competitve you'd get more fans.

 

[dullonien]

Christ, too many journalists and fans in Wales talk as if we're better than the other nations in the URC.

The only reason why the URC isn't working in Wales is because the Welah regions are ****. If they were competative with the Irish provinces and SA sides, hell even the Scottish sides are cobsiderably stronger atm, then it woulf be a really good product imo.

I know a section of the fanbase want the ravalry of facing English clubs, but that's what Europe is about. We need to make the most of what we've got with the URC and re-structure to enable us to be competative at all levels.

Fans will pay to watch successful sides, no one other than the diehards wants to go watch Cardiff ship 50 to Munster! But over 40k went to watch Cardiff lose in a penalty shootout to Leicester the last time they made the SF of the Heineken Cup. Surprise, surprise!

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Welsh plan to increase to 6 pro teams!

REPORT: Worcester Warriors could be replaced in the Gallagher Premiership - Ruck

Reports have suggested that Premiership Rugby have had initial discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union about two Welsh regions joining England’s elite club competition The Rugby Paper have revealed that…

www.ruck.co.uk

I was getting withdrawal symptoms about stories of Welsh desire to jump into bed with England. So I'll take this unsubstantiated rumour.

Bound to be a London Scottish related rumour just around the corner too.

 

[die_mole]

as a foreigner Swansea and Cardiff should be in the English system cause that's just how things work in soccer

 

[SG59_]

as a foreigner Swansea and Cardiff should be in the English system cause that's just how things work in soccer

I've thought this for a long time with the big Welsh teams too. This mixed league across different continents has always seemed bizarre to me. Is there a valid reason beyond ego why they haven't?

 

[higgik]

Moffatt out suggesting that rhe Ospreys move to Wrexham, if they can get funding from Reynolds and McElhenney.
Might work.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

If by might you mean never

 

[McTallshort]

Moffatt out suggesting that rhe Ospreys move to Wrexham, if they can get funding from Reynolds and McElhenney.
Might work.

Yeah Rugby and football teams ground sharing always works out ..