WRU confirm they want to reduce to two pro teams

[Groundhog]

Do an Ireland and run 1 successful and 3 **** teams

Or they could do an England where they pretend winning their dogwater domestic league constitutes success!

Wales should revert to the old ways. Pontypridd vs Mega Pontypridd.

It is a sad outcome for Welsh rugby and a bad look for rugby more widely. In the near term it's probably overdue and what needs to happen.

 

[Rugbyfan564]

Sounds like they will also axe the rule allowing their best players to play outside of Wales and move to a strict play in Wales or not be selected rule.

 

[McTallshort]

Or they could do an England where they pretend winning their dogwater domestic league constitutes success!

Wales should revert to the old ways. Pontypridd vs Mega Pontypridd.

It is a sad outcome for Welsh rugby and a bad look for rugby more widely. In the near term it's probably overdue and what needs to happen.

Wouldn't know don't follow the premiership

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Sounds like they will also axe the rule allowing their best players to play outside of Wales and move to a strict play in Wales or not be selected rule.

thats an interesting one given theyre limiting the opportunities to play in wales, really limiting the number of eligible players

each position is only going to have 2-3 options

 

[TRF_Olyy]

dogwater domestic league

URC fans talking about any other league in the world at any level

Not even mad, it's just sad to see people so indoctrinated

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Premiership

Bring it on. Rugby hasn’t got enough cross border competitions.

 

[Vaquer]

Sounds like they will also axe the rule allowing their best players to play outside of Wales and move to a strict play in Wales or not be selected rule.

Refusing to pick players who live in the UK sounds like something that would go badly for the WRU if it ever got to a courtroom

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Refusing to pick players who live in the UK sounds like something that would go badly for the WRU if it ever got to a courtroom

Doubt it, England have been doing it for years

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Refusing to pick players who live in the UK sounds like something that would go badly for the WRU if it ever got to a courtroom

I’ve often wondered about that. For England the RFU probably had top lawyers on it. And in reality which individual player(s) are actually going to mount a serious legal challenge?

In England how is the rule actually documented? Is it in a policy somewhere?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I don't see how it could be illegal tbh, it's not stopping them from working as a rugby player it's just saying they're not eligible for a specific role

 

[McTallshort]

Doubt it, England have been doing it for years

And New Zealand and Australia

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

I don't see how it could be illegal tbh, it's not stopping them from working as a rugby player it's just saying they're not eligible for a specific role

It’s a restraint of trade angle. Contractual terms that restricts someone’s ability to carry on their trade or profession. They’re not stopped from being rugby players but they are being stopped from becoming international rugby players and all that brings.

It just doesn’t feel right, but it’s the law that matters, and no doubt highly paid legal eagles, which I’m not, will have been all over this.

Then again there was the 1995 Bosman case in football which was about freedom of movement. Not the same issue, but that smashed existing thinking and had profound implications because someone had the guts to challenge it. So it might be there are weaknesses in the practice that simply haven’t been tested yet. But even back then the money and scale of football made it different gravy.

 

[Saintjay]

Refusing to pick players who live in the UK sounds like something that would go badly for the WRU if it ever got to a courtroom

Think as long as you are not discriminatory on a protected characteristic your fine.

Loads of jobs have various terms and conditions of employment.

 

[higgik]

It would mean a closed league though unless relegated Welsh teams were to drop into the English Championship. Meaning that no English team could ever dream of promotion again.

I don't see the English going for it. Although I am biased as a Dragons fan.

But if there was a plan to develop the league and increase teams, based on finances etc, why not have a closed league.
In my ideal would be a 16 team league would be the goal.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Loads of jobs have various terms and conditions of employment.

They do. Mine has a load of restrictive covenants which are almost certainly unenforceable if push really came to shove. But they are there and 99.9% of people are simply not going to have that kind of fight.

 

[mdaclarke]

Is this going to be a Cats situation?

The East Team flitting between Rodney Parade and Arms Park
The West Team flitting between St Helens and Parc Y Scarlets

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

I imagine a player will challenge it if the salary disparity becomes outrageous. But I imagine if it gets to that point the union would have to go in to field a competitive team.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Feel like if there was any leg to stand on then an agent would've have challenged it at some point, especially with how outspoken some of the players who went abroad have been

Maybe the extenuating circumstances loophole covers their back

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Although I feel duty bound to take the p1ss out of Wales on a regular basis, they are a proud rugby nation and this is a very sad state of affairs.

And you suspect that before things get better they may need to get worse. And there’s doubtless plenty of infighting to come.

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

Maybe welsh rugby will resemble welsh soccer? A few big clubs in the English system and then have semi pro clubs in a welsh league.