Welsh Rugby - Up Schitt Creek ?

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Protein Junkie

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I think we have finally reached the point where Rugby in Wales requires fundamental change.
Draconian funding cuts will mean an exodus of players to England and France.
Looks likely at least one region will be culled.
 
Protein Junkie said:
I think we have finally reached the point where Rugby in Wales requires fundamental change.
Draconian funding cuts will mean an exodus of players to England and France.
Looks likely at least one region will be culled.
Click to expand...
Two or three years ago the Welsh team had 7 players who were born in England but played mainly for Welsh clubs. Lower wages could mean a source cut off. However, English premiership also in deep financial do-do.
 
I will use the well-worn Marketing 4 P’s principle to look at what I think is wrong with Welsh Rugby at present.

Product and Place.

In the newly expanded URC there are now 16 teams including four from South Africa and two Italian clubs. You do not play everyone home and away. The SA Teams have no identity namely Sharks, Stormers, Bulls and Lions.

The Main issue here is two-fold. You cannot build up brand loyalty at all due to the location of many of the away games plus the cash cow that is the Autumn Internationals.

An example of this is the Scarlets. Following a heavy home defeat to Leinster on 28/10/22 they only played one further home game (a cup match against a not bothered Bayonne) until 2023. During this period they played three away matched in South Africa. This was also the period of the Autumn Internationals so sides were severely depleted.



Price

The budget for the Welsh Regions is being slashed and has fallen way behind the England, Ireland and the worst culprit France. The modern squad is around 50 players but with the funding cuts we are looking at circa 37.

Every Welsh Club gets access to funding. This is contentious as there is little governance on how this is spent. In other words it is believed that funds are siphoned off to pay for players for Peter to stay above their local rivals Paul.

The bar to earn at least a part time living through Rugby in Wales is set very low indeed. Moderate players believe they should be paid for playing.

Promotion

The internationals are seen almost like a Bank Holiday in Wales but the grass roots game is dying of a death by several cuts. Crowds for the four regions are dwindling due to factors as above. There are other factors including Premiership Football.

Summary

The current league set up and more controversially, the European Cup are not fit for purpose. I honestly think they need to go back to the Club structure of old. Any player good enough can escalate and play in England or France.

The Crowds will return to a Welsh Premiership and local talent will continue to thrive.
 
The players should come and join rugby league like they used to in the 1960s-90s
 
I hate rugby and am glad to see it falling apart in Wales. £100+ tickets for the Six Nations and Cardiff being a no go when they’re on due to fan behaviour. Give me the football any day.
 
To quote Bernardo, they're in a dark place right now, keeping England company. Walloped 52 - 20 by the Aussies in Cardiff tonight. 11 successive defeats for the Welsh now, apparently the worst run in their 143 year history playing international rugby. 17 defeats in the 23 tests since Gatland came back for a second stint in the hot seat. Springboks next weekend, before Wales go to Paris for their opening six nations match at the end of january.
 
We need everything to be ripped up & started again.
We need everyone on the WRU gravy train sacked & replaced, we need to stop the amateur game having any say in how the professional game is ran. Brynmor Davies at Aberfuckingshithole should not have a say in how fucking Cardiff is ran.
We need Gatland and his coaching team all fucked off, can we afford it though ?
We need to fuck the hated regions off & go down to three teams. Probably the Dragons to go.
We need to get out of the URC, no one in Wales is remotely interested in playing Irish, Scottish or Italian sides, we have no historic rivalry with any of them.
We need to start playing our historic rivals like Bath, Gloucester, Bristol & Leicester again but the truth is, they probably don't need us.
In short, we're fucked
 
See my post #4 plus ca change.

Yesterday’s game was played outside the International window meaning Wales could not select 13 players.
Big deal eh ? But for a country with an already small player base with an all time low cohort of quality what was the point?
Enter the WRU cash cow. Money driven but so short sighted. This is only going to lead to even less engagement with young people.
Way too many sub standard players earning a living and Wales cannot afford the current professional era.
 
Xhavenjoe said:
That Etzebeth should get done for that eye gouging incident.
Winning the game by a ridiculously big score line and rstill resorts to that
Click to expand...
Was he somehow provoked perhaps? I understand he does not usually behave like that. He was really, really angry. No excuse off course.
 
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