Off Topic Ospreys, Wales & BIL

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/urc-...8wd6ceR7n_aGF1a_GjUVOSk73Lb-YheuRURAXix4WqwlY

 

https://rugbyonslaught.com/teammate...tiMFWz3ZuTqOP8YKXb2FxgFXf3URypKHEV0c9QefrnRhw

 

Enjoyable result over the Turks Nice to see some dynamism in attack. Hopefully an evolving trend, the Os have got some cracking young players to compliment the experienced ones.

 

Welsh plan to cut professional teams from four to three

Steffan Thomas

Wednesday May 04 2022, 6.00pm, The Times

The Welsh Rugby Union have put forward proposals to cut the number of professional sides in Wales from four to three in two years’ time.

Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys, and Scarlets have struggled for success over several years with crowd numbers dwindling in Wales. All four sides have posted significant losses, which have been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, while they have been saddled with a collective £20 million bank loan that will have to be paid back over 20 years.

The options on the table — all of which are likely to meet significant opposition — are axing either the Ospreys or Dragons, or an Ospreys and Scarlets merger.

The WRU recommendations come following a report from consultants Oakwell Sports Advisory and will be put to the Professional Rugby Board — the body that runs the professional game in Wales — at their next meeting on May 11.

WRU chief executive Steve Phillips will put forward a long-term funding model based on supporting three teams. At present the professional sides receive £23.5 million between them which is set to be cut to £18 million in the 2023-24 season.

With the Irish Rugby Union spending between €50-60 million on its professional game, and the Scottish Rugby Union investing £20 million into both Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Welsh sides are set to fall further behind their rivals in Europe, and the United Rugby Championship.

Meetings have been taking place with the WRU, and newly appointed PRB chairman Malcolm Wall over the future direction of professional rugby in Wales.

The proposals are creating a toxic environment within Welsh rugby with each professional side reluctant to fall on its sword, but there is an acceptance across the board that things have to change following a Six Nations campaign which resulted in Wales’s men’s team losing to Italy at home for the first time in their history.

It would be the second time in the chequered 20-year history of regional rugby a team will have been axed. Former chief executive David Moffett carved nine teams into five in 2003 before moving down to four a year later. A proposed merger between Ospreys and Scarlets two years ago ran into ferocious opposition and was ultimately shelved.

Ospreys are majority owned by British Virgin Islands based company Y-11, but as with the other three regions, it is understood they would cease to operate without WRU funding.

There is also set to be a change in how Wales’ professional players are paid. Presently, the WRU pay 80 per cent of the salaries of the top 38 players in Wales with their regions taking on 20 per cent of the wage. The Oakwell report has suggested creating a new agreement which would entail creating a Welsh Elite Player squad, similar to the model undertaken with the Rugby Football Union’s EPS, with the WRU paying its professional sides for the services of their players.

“Welsh rugby is heading into the abyss,” said a high-ranking Welsh rugby figure who did not want to be named. “The game in this country is at a crossroads following what has been a terrible Six Nations campaign. For too long Warren Gatland papered over the cracks in the overall game in Wales with success at Test level, but the rot has finally spread to the national side which is the only reason the WRU are planning to do something drastic.

“There’s enough money in the game in Wales to have four competitive professional sides but the WRU’s answer is not to invest in the game but to build a hotel and potentially cut a region.”

 

Simple answer go back to the clubs...get rid of the regions....anyway why is it only Cardiff that is safe..weren’t they the Blues once...wru.....corrupt

 

We are effectively back to the Clubs - in fact Cardiff, Newport and the Turks never really changed in the first place.

The Ospreys are now really Swansea - there has been no former Neath involvement for 4 years.

 

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I didn't see this mentioned in the match report, was it penalised in the game?

 

Stormers looking very dangerous, the Scarlets hanging onto the lead at the moment, mainly due to the Stormers errors! I'm going to predict the Ospreys getting the euro spot

 

Not even reviewed …..

 

Wales 18 -3 up at half time

Bigs unlucky with the yellow I thought. Can we hang on?

 

Looked harsh … we won’t hold on, the ref will see to that

 

Yeah, I've felt like the ref is a little "double standards".

Saying that, way too many pens now and apart from the first try, it's the same old "no attempt run the ball".