How many Ospreys fans are going to travel from Bridgend, Maesteg, Port Talbot and Neath to Pemberton to watch the Oslets?
Not many ,shocking if it does go through,I know attendances are poor but what happens to all the kids that follow and I can't see many making the journey into what really is "enemy" territory and what allegiances can be formed ,I can't see them giving up the red
My initial reaction when reading this was "Why don't they merge Gwent Dragons and Cardiff Blues, as Gwent have always been the weakest region?" and then I came to the line which read ………………".........and WRU-owned Dragons". Definitely a stitch up if this goes ahead. On the other side of the coin, Welsh clubs/regions are not getting anywhere near to winning the European Cup so I can understand us reducing the number of regions to make the survivors stronger. This plan doesn't do this as there will still be four regions and a North Wales region has no base to sustain it. Another point, while our regions are not competing in Europe, Internationally we are doing quite well. Should the European Cup be the holy grail (as in football) or should the WRU be looking at the best way to improve the National team?
As MJ said to me once, he and Davies like nothing more than a ****-fight..... This could get very interesting
please log in to view this image Phillbb "Do this and we'll give you £x" "Done it, so where's the cash" "Erm" "Hello.....?" "Erm, this is awkward" "Why?" "We didn't think you'd do it. So we've promised the money elsewhere" "You WHAT?" "Can't you just disappear? Merge? Close?" "See you in court, chaps"
Until now, the Ospreys have remained largely silent out of respect to the WRU, despite growing speculation over the future of regional rugby in Wales. This can no longer remain the case. The instability created by PRB’s chaotic approach to its own imposed restructuring criteria has been the height of recklessness at its worst and incompetent management at its best - an approach which has resulted in wild conjecture, hostility and uncertainty in the regional game. Welsh rugby and the supporters of Welsh rugby deserve better. And the players, families, suppliers, commercial partners and those whose livelihoods depend on the regional game, certainly deserve better. We stand fully behind the comments of Ospreys outgoing chairman Mike James and add the Ospreys’ voice to his in calling for fundamental re-examination of a truly disasterous process. We also stand behind the comments and concerns of the WRPA concerning the woeful lack of consultation to date. The Ospreys are NOT on the verge of merging with the Scarlets. Like the other M4 regions, the Ospreys were informed by the WRU that their decision was to create a new region in the North and this would necessitate one going in the South. Beyond this, the regions have been encouraged to enter unilateral discussions to try and self-broker an outcome. Rather than every option being on the table, only one has transpired - which region should go. Far from being a methodical, consultative process, involving all the game’s stakeholders, looking at the greater good and the long-term benefit to all, the South Wales regions have been forced into a leaderless race for survival, with self-interest as its guiding star. The Ospreys are not afraid to think the unthinkable. Our region was born out of the previously unimaginable merger of Swansea and Neath and, later, the seamless integration of Bridgend. We remain the only region to have truly embraced, lived and breathed the concept of regional rugby. Our reward and Wales’s reward, has been an unparalleled level of success for our region and an unrivalled contribution to the national team. We fully recognise the WRU’s argument that the regional game requires further restructuring in order to remain viable and we support this principle. But, the way this has been approached has led to a fundamental breakdown in the fabric of the game. This must stop now. A new process must be expedited, with respected and competent leadership - professionally outlined and responsibly led - with transparency and genuine consultation as its foundation.
