With so many leaving, we must give youth a chance
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The strange goings on in Welsh rugby continued on Thursday night when Cardiff Rugby took to Twitter to announce the 16 players who will be leaving the club this summer.
It coincided with their annual awards, but you'd have thought their most capped player, someone who has given countless amounts of blood, sweat and tears for the region, Lloyd Williams deserved more than a cursory social media post to thank him for his massive investment and loyalty.
True, he was presented with the Peter Thomas Player of the Year Award at the dinner, but I'd have expected more of a fuss to be made of him after 250 games.
That leaves Cardiff with 26 players on their books at present. They have their academy players as well, but with little money to shop with this summer you wonder what squad they will be able to put together for next season.
The 16 leavers named from the Arms Park followed on from the Scarlets announcing they have shed 15 players and the Dragons nine. The Ospreys are still counting, although we know that Joe Hawkins and Ethan Roots have both signed for Exeter Chiefs, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler is heading to Japan, Dan Lydiate is on his way and Stephen Myler is retiring.
We still await news on the status of Alun Wyn Jones, Rhys Webb and Gareth Anscombe for next season, while Nicky Smith is still being courted by Saracens and Bristol Bears.
It means almost 50 players will be leaving Welsh rugby for one reason or another, freeing up around £5m in wages.
This huge cull of players was always going to happen given the difficult financial climate. Many of those released were at the end of their careers, and a few others have simply hung up their boots, but out of adversity comes opportunity. Will the next cab off the rank please move forward.
We've seen what Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshuinza, Mason Grady and Joe Hawkins can do. And look how Sam Costelow, Taine Basham, Dewi Lake, Morgan Morris, Jac Morgan, Max Llewellyn and James Botham have developed in a short space of time. Give youth its chance!
Everybody keeps asking what success will look like for the regions next season, from the players to the coaches and the fans. It's as if they are trying to talk things down already.
Success will be competing as hard as possible as often as possible. I played in many Welsh teams that were never given a chance against the likes of England, France, Australia, Ireland and South Africa. You have to fully embrace the underdog tag, work harder than the opposition and believe in your ability.
Of all the things Welsh rugby needs next season it is greater positivity than we've experienced over the past 18 months. The current climate is pretty toxic and the blame culture is turning fans away from the game and youngsters into the hands of other sports. That has got to change.
The problems are the problems – park them and try to find some solutions. They say money is the root of all evil, but it is surely not the only solution to Welsh rugby's current problems.
The World Cup is going to make it another tricky season for the regions. It will be another fractured start to the campaign before everything comes in a rush.
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth, right, made an interesting observation after Judgement Day when he suggested that the four regions might get their best chance of glory by doing well in the European cup competitions. At least then they will be able to field their best sides.
And just look what Ospreys were able to do in beating the French champions, Montpellier, home and away and the English champions, Leicester Tigers, at Welford Road in the Heineken Champions Cup. Cardiff chipped in with a big win over Sale Sharks in the Challenge Cup and the Scarlets beat Brive and Clermont Auvergne on their way to yesterday's Challenge Cup semi-final with Glasgow Warriors.
With no automatic place in the Champions Cup for any teams finishing outside the top eight places in the URC next season, getting into the top tournament is going to get harder and harder.
Getting into a semi-final or final in that competition is going to be even tougher given you have to finish higher than fifth to get a home draw in the quarter-finals. That means you'd have to travel to face a Leinster, Stormers, Sharks, Munster, Ulster or Glasgow in the quarter-finals and then still face an away semi-final if you win that one. So, when you ask yourself ‘what does success look like' for the regions next season, bear in mind what it is going to take to break into the top half of the domestic league table. But don't rule out the possibility of a good cup run and closing the gap gradually by introducing their young talent.
It may put a bigger onus on the senior players to nurture the players learning their trade, but that's what makes it such an interesting and exciting challenge – not one to be constantly complained about. If there is a £5.2m playing budget for next season, and even a £4.5m one for the 2024-25 campaign, then everyone is going to have to try to create more wealth commercially, the coaches are going to have to work even harder on improving their players and the players are going to have to commit even harder to the task ahead.
No one is saying it is going to be easy, but it is what it is at the moment. So, let's get on with planning for a brighter future, rather than moaning about even darker times ahead.
