Welsh Rugby Stuff

[dirty harry]

My son’s 10th birthday is the same day Wales play Italy. I got him a ticket for his birthday.

Poor dab. Someone should report me to child services to be fair.

Reported! Not for seeing Italy play Wales, i do that every other year, but for making him watch in Cardiff.

At least get him a ticket to Ireland and make it a trip!

 

[Welsh Exile]

Reported! Not for seeing Italy play Wales, i do that every other year, but for making him watch in Cardiff.

At least get him a ticket to Ireland and make it a trip!

He has to experience a matchday in Cardiff.

I only got 1 ticket. He has to make his own way there and back.

 

[dirty harry]

He has to experience a matchday in Cardiff.

I only got 1 ticket. He has to make his own way there and back.

Now thats a true dad, dont molly coddle him now hes made double figures, put hairs on his chest!!!!

I plan to do this with my daughter next November, get her a single ticket to the game, give her enough money for the bus and tell her to enjiy France v Fiji!!

 

[Welsh Exile]

Anyone got any good suggestions for somewhere to take the fam to eat after the game?

 

[dirty harry]

Anyone got any good suggestions for somewhere to take the fam to eat after the game?

7pm on a saturday night in March?

I would always go eat before KO, have a few beers get some atmosphere, but there might generally be very few people around on the day lol.

You cant beat a maccers, delivery drivers hanging around the doorway, ****** up welsh fans drunkenly getting their nuggets, local kids threatening to wet you up, pure romance!

For a posher experience, i quite like Ty Maderira, portugeuse place, Turtle bay is good for Caribean food, Cote for decent french food, or our pre match guarenteed spot with the kids Pasture. Decent all round, all vasically on St mary Street.

If you fancy a game of darts with your grub Flight club offer bookings on tables, bit check about match days.

 

[Welsh Exile]

7pm on a saturday night in March?

I would always go eat before KO, have a few beers get some atmosphere, but there might generally be very few people around on the day lol.

You cant beat a maccers, delivery drivers hanging around the doorway, ****** up welsh fans drunkenly getting their nuggets, local kids threatening to wet you up, pure romance!

For a posher experience, i quite like Ty Maderira, portugeuse place, Turtle bay is good for Caribean food, Cote for decent french food, or our pre match guarenteed spot with the kids Pasture. Decent all round, all vasically on St mary Street.

If you fancy a game of darts with your grub Flight club offer bookings on tables, bit check about match days.

You know what, I might check out that Ty Maderira place as I remember once when I was a kid my dad taking me to Cardiff and went to some Portuguese restaurant where they hanged these massive kebabs from the ceiling. Was absolutely amazing. Don’t think it’s open anymore so will check this one out.

 

[dirty harry]

You know what, I might check out that Ty Maderira place as I remember once when I was a kid my dad taking me to Cardiff and went to some Portuguese restaurant where they hanged these massive kebabs from the ceiling. Was absolutely amazing. Don’t think it’s open anymore so will check this one out.

They do the same thing, hanging kebabs, absolutely cracking!

 

[Bluemoon]

They do the same thing, hanging kebabs, absolutely cracking!

Yes agree it’s still great but they moved location.

Pasture is amazing but pricey.

Fat hippo is good on church street for burgers / dirty fries etc and if you are happy with gaining a heart condition the next day.

Pho also on church street is good if your family like Vietnamese.

Elganos on Cathedral Road is a great little Italian. Not a chain, great service.

 

[dirty harry]

Yes agree it’s still great but they moved location.

Pasture is amazing but pricey.

Fat hippo is good on church street for burgers / dirty fries etc and if you are happy with gaining a heart condition the next day.

Pho also on church street is good if your family like Vietnamese.

Elganos on Cathedral Road is a great little Italian. Not a chain, great service.

Love Fat Hippo for burgers...

We are currently searching for the best burger in Cardiff, Fat Hippo is leading the score board currently, tbf theres only been 6 places so far, all from the highest ranked online tho.

 

[Bluemoon]

Love Fat Hippo for burgers...

We are currently searching for the best burger in Cardiff, Fat Hippo is leading the score board currently, tbf theres only been 6 places so far, all from the highest ranked online tho.

Have you tried Got Beef and Burger Boyz? Both I would say better that fat hippo although they are great. Got beef often has queues outside which is always impressive.

 

[Amiga500]

I see they're now looking an EGM and Collier-Keywood out the door.

I feel like the WRU have shied away from an obvious (albeit hard) decision.

What I don't get is that they owned the Dragons at one point, then sold them - Collier-Keywood signed off on that. The WRU now also own the Blues.

You'd think that looking at the IRFU structure vs. the regions, and how it works relatively well, that if they had held onto the Dragons, they'd be halfway to getting the complete control they need to do what is best for the Welsh game without having to fight external stakeholders (aka region owners).

Now as it is, they have 1/4 the problem under their roof and 3/4 again largely beyond their control... and they're looking to offload that 1/4 already.


Why repeat the same thing over and over again, when its never worked and the examples of their Celtic neighbours would show the advantages of the union owning their professional teams?

 

[Bluemoon]

I see they're now looking an EGM and Collier-Keywood out the door.

I feel like the WRU have shied away from an obvious (albeit hard) decision.

What I don't get is that they owned the Dragons at one point, then sold them - Collier-Keywood signed off on that. The WRU now also own the Blues.

You'd think that looking at the IRFU structure vs. the regions, and how it works relatively well, that if they had held onto the Dragons, they'd be halfway to getting the complete control they need to do what is best for the Welsh game without having to fight external stakeholders (aka region owners).

Now as it is, they have 1/4 the problem under their roof and 3/4 again largely beyond their control... and they're looking to offload that 1/4 already.


Why repeat the same thing over and over again, when its never worked and the examples of their Celtic neighbours would show the advantages of the union owning their professional teams?

You only need a small number of votes to call an EGM, to pass a motion requires a significant number of votes so it’s not a certainty of a change in management. I think the clubs know a reduction in professional teams needs to happen, whoever is in place at the WRU will be the bad guy in that instance.

At the time of returning the drags back to private ownership, the WRU believed there was funding for 4 with the mainly private ownership model and them essentially then ‘buying’ player services through the contracts in place.

Changes in costs throughout rugby (there’s lots of clubs struggling) poor investment decisions and the final nail in the coffin was the WRUs decision to help endorse poor private ownership at Cardiff (which ended up putting them into administration) has led them to reevaluate.

What you are saying also assumes that the WRU have the finance or the human resources to ‘buy’ and ‘own’ the teams, they don’t and still need the private investment. Central contracts is then problematic, as you wouldn’t expect private owners of businesses to operate in a model where your main human assets are employed by an external and unpredictable body, who are mainly interested in team wales and not as much the success at club level.

Ireland and Wales are vastly different in terms of the rugby population, including player pathways, club models, population spread, infrastructure etc. Copying Ireland simply won’t work, and I don’t think that model is perfect either, although I’d love a Leinster in Cardiff. Celtic cousins or not, it’s very different here and we need a solution that suits Wales, not another country.

 

[dirty harry]

You only need a small number of votes to call an EGM, to pass a motion requires a significant number of votes so it’s not a certainty of a change in management. I think the clubs know a reduction in professional teams needs to happen, whoever is in place at the WRU will be the bad guy in that instance.

At the time of returning the drags back to private ownership, the WRU believed there was funding for 4 with the mainly private ownership model and them essentially then ‘buying’ player services through the contracts in place.

Changes in costs throughout rugby (there’s lots of clubs struggling) poor investment decisions and the final nail in the coffin was the WRUs decision to help endorse poor private ownership at Cardiff (which ended up putting them into administration) has led them to reevaluate.

What you are saying also assumes that the WRU have the finance or the human resources to ‘buy’ and ‘own’ the teams, they don’t and still need the private investment. Central contracts is then problematic, as you wouldn’t expect private owners of businesses to operate in a model where your main human assets are employed by an external and unpredictable body, who are mainly interested in team wales and not as much the success at club level.

Ireland and Wales are vastly different in terms of the rugby population, including player pathways, club models, population spread, infrastructure etc. Copying Ireland simply won’t work, and I don’t think that model is perfect either, although I’d love a Leinster in Cardiff. Celtic cousins or not, it’s very different here and we need a solution that suits Wales, not another country.

Which leads us back to localisation...

Noone wanted the regions, it was sold to us as an Irish successful model, and then noone wanted the regions we got.

The regions have failed, the WRU have made mistep after mistep, even with anouncing the loss of a region before deciding, Welsh international players agents are all in England and France touting their talent currently, weve just lost captain and vice to Glos, Wainright to Leicester, LRZ wanted a Cardiff return but couldnt take the risk, and now rumours circling around Tom Bowen, Morgan Morse, and Alex Mann. Young players whos profiles are building wanting out.

Cut a region and itll be the final nail in the coffin of Welsh rugby, who will become 2nd tier (not just in int performances).

The section i sit in of season ticket holders constantly talk about quitting the season tickets, because its not value for money, and not an enjoyable experience, and thats when its cold, dark wet and Cardiff are winning lol.

If a region goes, thats me done with my ticket, ill stop buying the 8 i do now, all thebgames are late friday and saturday nights, the kids struggle, its much easier to sit in a pub and watch it on generic sports channel 7 or whoever buys it next season!

Ultimately the WRU want full control, but cannot afford full control, they will endorse and then battle anyone who spends their money, who in their right mind would see a welsh rugby club as a viable investment?!?!?!

I genuinely think what we need, is to control our own game, drop to a 12 team prem, private owners (locals probably) 3 prem teams per region, then compete on the european stage as 4 regions.

Club playing rosters wont be much worse than we will have next season, but itll allow extra exposure to younger players, kick offs can be at appropriate times, allowing for better fan engagement, hell there will even be away fans in the stadium lol.

Finances will be lean, but it will be ours, and i genuinely think the loss of URC money will be recouped by extra feet through the door and a lesser tv deal (IMO) the 100 or so million from all other revrnues would still be there.

The WRU could even own a region (3 prem teams) as a development area. That they could afford.

I know i kmow im deluded, but im also sick of this ****, and dont enjoy the game much any more!

 

[Amiga500]

What you are saying also assumes that the WRU have the finance or the human resources to ‘buy’ and ‘own’ the teams, they don’t and still need the private investment.

So your saying the WRU need private investors to queue up to throw away* their money on a loss-making business which they will only have limited control over...



*and if they don't have to throw away their money, then what is stopping the WRU running the regions at a loss back-boned by the national game? That is pretty much what happens in Ireland and Scotland.

 

[Bluemoon]

So your saying the WRU need private investors to queue up to throw away* their money on a loss-making business which they will only have limited control over...



*and if they don't have to throw away their money, then what is stopping the WRU running the regions at a loss back-boned by the national game? That is pretty much what happens in Ireland and Scotland.

Yes, that’s the current system and known as a the benefactor model which has been the model for some time in Wales and England. The idea at the WRU at the moment is that, with the WRU finance model, they can survive with three but would prefer two.

Im not offering this as the solution by the way just pointing out WRU direct ownership of anything is madness if you know anything about Welsh rugby, this is an issue that’s been going on for decades.

Your last point is an option, but ironically I think even the clubs would be uneasy with the professional entities being run by the WRU. The conflict of interests alone would be mind boggling.

If you are genuinely interested, Welsh Rugby: What went wrong is an excellent read and will give an insight into the WRU and some of the madness that led here.