The Landscape of Welsh Club Rugby
As Welsh club rugby goes into a new, semi-professional era, it has to be looked at how the gap between a semi-pro level and pro level can be bridged. The introduction of new tournaments, rules and teams has or will be planned or implemented over the next year.
RULE CHANGES
The twelve sided competition has been with us for decades, but has never experienced such change as it is now. The WRU brought in new rules which saw tries be increased in value to 6 points with all kicks being decreased to 2 points. Penalty tries are 8 points with no conversions needed. This saw Pontypridd RFC claim the first ever 6 point try in rugby union. But amidst controversy there has to be the question of whether the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has mucked around with club rugby too much?
For one it took me some time to get to grips with such random scoring, but after a few months many club supporters seemed to have grasped the concept; but not all with open arms. By decreasing the value of kicks, we take an emphasis away from kicking quality, which at a pro and international level is key, as Dan Carter showed with the turning of the tide in the World Cup final with his drop goal. Yes the penalty try idea is good as we all know kickers don’t miss in front of the posts from that distance.
As for tries being worth six points, why? There is nothing of sorts at pro level anywhere else in the world and so how does this help create or develop better elite players, but also when the Swalec Cup returns the points system will return to the standard of five point tries and three points for drop goals and penalties, which will add to the inconsistencies and lack of stability for players.
CUP COMPETITIONS
The British and Irish Cup (BIC) offered a strong and exciting cup to the best four sides in the Welsh Premiership a chance to get their teams to play against the likes of Munster A, Leinster A and Leeds Carnegie. It was a cracking day out for the fans and gave players the chance to develop their game as you only improve as players by competing against better competitors.
Pontypridd RFC fans protested long and hard, even on the day of the play-off final between them and Ebbw Vale RFC, but this was not enough. The WRU took yet another vital component away from club rugby, replacing our historic clubs with struggling regions’ A sides made up of a mixture of that region’s represented teams players. This sounds like we could field a very competitive squad, but in reality these players hardly know each other, have limited training and lack of home games at a set ground and so the games are often poor. Showing in week one of the BIC with 3/4 regions losing out to far superior opposition.
This left club rugby without a third cup competition, but not to worry, our superiors in rugby HQ came up with the idea of the Fosters Challenge Cup, which is neither here nor there in terms of actual game play. It’s designed to play permit players from outside clubs at one club to develop players, but how are they supposed to do this if there is no regular training or coaching for weeks ahead in terms of prep. Although this is a good idea in my mind to bring in new talent, not all teams have grasped the idea with Cross Keys RFC playing only five outside permit players compared to Ebbw’s ten in week one of the cup. This eventuality saw Keys run out convincing winners in dreadful conditions. The same came in week two when a youthful Ebbw and Newport side clashed at a windy Eugene Cross Park in a one-sided tie that was easy on the eye in the first, but disrupted by weather and injuries in the second.
Overall hardly any fans know how this cup is working or how it pans out. With odd numbers being used some sides will have to play more than others and the order goes pear-shaped; a poor replacement cup, it seems, for the BIC, but what can we do? We have to make the most of the situation and blood new boys into our teams who could be our future, which in my mind is what club rugby is all about, the development of young players, and allowing them to get ready for that ultimate step up to pro rugby.
WELSH PREMIERSHIP EXPANSION
With the Premiership being ring-fenced for the fifth time in six years it is hard to comprehend how the WRU see club rugby working in the future because in the short term they seem to want to kill it. They prevented a strong Ebbw squad coming up for 3 years before letting them come up after their fourth championship title in 4 years, before ring fencing it for this year. This is so they can add four more teams to the mix with the favourites being pro teams like RGC 1404, Merthyr, Pontypool and Swansea. This sounds like a good idea, unless you’re a Bargoed fan – they were not allowed up because according to the WRU they hadn’t got the standard ”A license” which is another farcical matter in Welsh club rugby. So Bargoed fans you can feel right in complaining about not getting promoted after a run away league victory last season, and lots of second places when Ebbw Vale were around.
This 16 team expansion will only dilute the talent pool that is no longer around in club rugby further, and so the Premiership will not get any better for adding these teams, of which one is ploughing money into the game for players who are not quite good enough for those golden pro contracts, with some players being well into their 30’s and running down the other side of the hill.
Overall I’d keep the Welsh Premiership consisting of 12 teams, keep the five point try rules and such, but also force teams in the Fosters Cup to make at least half of their squad permit players.
But one thing I think we all agree on is that club rugby in Wales should be down to grass roots creating and developing players and not just a place where amateurs can play out their hobbies on a weekend.
More news on changes and updates on the Premiership in Wales can be found here.
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