Welsh Rugby:" It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.' - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.

When Dickens wrote this, little did he know that he would inspire an article on Welsh rugby, but this passage in my mind captures the current state Welsh rugby finds itself in perfectly.

Over the past three weeks, the Welsh public have bore witness to the best of times on the field, down to the soul-destroying epoch of an all-out civil war between its governing body and its regions.

Now, I am not naive or self-indulgent enough to think I could possibly add anything insightful to the reams and reams that have already poured out of various journalists and bloggers alike, nor am I foolish enough to believe that I know the solutions to the Welsh rugby conundrum. However, I love Wales and I love rugby, and therefore, feel compelled to share my thoughts.

If we’re honest, Welsh Rugby has been at war with itself since the professional era’s inception and I don’t think its too dramatic to say that its pretty much rotten to its core, with all sides either unwilling or unable to compromise when it comes to matters of power and control.

In recent years, the success on the International stage has hidden the ugly truth that, deep down, every supporter knew: drastic changes need to be made to save Wales’ national sport.

Unsurprisingly, then, this boils down to money.

The past few days have seen a verbal battleground develop, with press release and counter press release fired away into public domain and has, quite frankly, left me wondering if anyone in Westgate Street has a phone?

From the WRU’s statements, it seems they claim to want to bring the Regions back to the table to discuss central contracts but how on earth did they think attacking the very clubs they wish to negotiate and co-operate with was a good idea? May I suggest Roger Lewis adds business negotiations for dummies to his Amazon wish-list.

It really is common sense that if you want to go into business with someone or something, you don’t open talks by publicly slating them first!

Meanwhile, the Regions feel hard done-by but are fronted by the mysterious Regional Rugby Wales. Who are they? As of yet, there are no other details of their ideology nor objectives.

George North’s future was what started this press release merry-go-round off and to be honest, I don’t really blame the Scarlets for wanting to find a new home for him. They offered him a contract extension, he turned it down, so it made sound economical sense to find a buyer, rather than risk losing him for free at the end of next season anyway.

 If I was a Scarlets fan, I would be more concerned with not being able to keep hold of a player like Owen Williams than North: Yes, the Welsh wing is a superstar but that's exactly why teams will come calling, while Williams on the other hand is still finding his feet at regional level and would have been a huge asset to the squad next year.

The reports of the WRU trying to broker a deal for North with the Blues are the ones I find most mystifying of all, as if they were that determined to keep him in Wales, why not just offer the Scarlets financial aid rather than putting some kind of slapdash deal together at the 11^th hour to take him to the Welsh capital?

North looks likely to leave for the bright lights of Northampton, and more worryingly for the WRU and their usual four test Autumn series is the fact that Dan Lydiate and Jamie Roberts will also be on their way out of Wales this summer.

The regions have accepted they cannot compete with the wages being offered in France nor should they want to; they are not sustainable and we only need to look at what a mess the French team has become in recent years. Their league has become so overrun with ‘foreigners’ that young French talent perhaps aren’t getting their chance to develop and shine.

 And that moves me on to my next point: Maybe in this day and age of modern rugby where teams play as much for their national side as they do their club, perhaps you can’t have both a successful international outfit and a thriving club game.

The WRU want central contracts - of course they do, they will then hold all the cards. But no governing body should completely monopolise the sport. I mean, you don’t need to look further back than the end of last season to see what a law unto themselves they are, when they booted Pontypool - a club steeped in history - out of the Premiership, but somehow managed to make concessions for Bridgend and Carmarthen Quins. 

If you asked an outsider that saw Ebbw Vale’s Cup match with Pontypridd last  week which one of the sides was in a different league to the other, I guarantee they would have been shocked. There is no promotion or relegation this year and next in the Premiership, and I’m sure that when the time comes, if the right teams aren’t in desired positions the WRU will find a technicality to have their own way.

However, I digress. Back to central contracts...

Clearly, the regions need better financial support for losing their best players for the majority of the season if they're to compete on the European stage and be able to find the funds to keep stars such as North in Wales.

If we look further down the pyramid, the Welsh women’s 15’s side is under threat with the WRU releasing a statement yesterday - that was truly an art form - that said a lot without saying anything at all. The WRU see the 7’s as the big carrot with it being included in the Olympics and potentially the Commonwealth Games. Yes, the women’s 7s game should be developed but not at the expense of the full game in my opinion. 

Rugby is a very special sport. It is an all-inclusive game in that no matter what size or shape you are, there is a position for you - you wouldn’t see Adam Jones gracing a 7’s event but does that mean he is any less of an athlete than a player like Shane Williams?

I am a purist at heart and although I enjoy both playing 7s as well as the spectacle and glamour it brings to rugby, my first love will always be the 15s game, and what message does it give out to young girls playing age grade rugby that perhaps don’t have dancing feet or fit the 7's mould? That there is no place for them to play rugby in Wales?

At club level, teams also feel undervalued. A great idea in my opinion to give something back would have been to schedule Judgement Day on a bank holiday and give tickets to these grassroots clubs - the more teams you run, the more free tickets you receive - but that would have required forward thinking and a bit of common sense.

 

I realise that I have ranted for the past 1000 words, but Welsh rugby is at such a crossroads in so many aspects of the game that even if I went on for another 10,000 words, there would still be things left unsaid and questions to answer.

Nevertheless, I do know one thing. These last few weeks really have been the best of times and the worst of times, possibly in the entire history of Welsh Rugby.