WELSH rugby is in dire straits. I believe it is a position that is irrecoverable with the current regional model and one that will not improve with the proposed reduction in fully professional teams from four to three.
Attendances at URC games is woeful and shows no sign of improving. Rugby fans in the valleys and many traditional heartlands like Bridgend or Aberavon are disenfranchised, sacrificed at the altar of Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff and Dragons, teams for which only supporters of their former clubs have an affinity.
Youngsters no longer see a route to the top. The opportunity...