jontheref says...

startledwombat.

Rugby and football is played i the schools, along with many other sports.

Many schools, if near water also offer sailing.

Boys and girls have many choices.

There is no coordination between the WRU schools and regions.

They think they have a plan inplace, but being at grassroots, it doesn't appear so to us!

Dragons to become a development, and fund the others with top 2 getting slightly more, is what he seems to be saying, and would give some incentive.

Have to wait and see it the new board agree, or is Lewis speaking out of turn.

Posted 10:23 27th December 2012

Billybob says...

@Sincero Where do some people get their information from, the league 1 in france for soccer has an averages attendance of 18,869 with 7,170,333 the total number of people in attendance the Top 14 attendance is 13,269 with a total of 2,414,519 in attendance of the whole season. So fact show that France is also a football nation. Clown

Posted 19:54 26th December 2012

startledwombat says...

Is rugby played in the schools in Wales? Are there more kids playing rugby than soccer in the schools? Do mums want their kids to play rugby or soccer?

Posted 09:41 26th December 2012

Sincero says...

@jontheref, suck my baubles, fellow. Look it up. Gates and t.v.. France is a rugby nation in that sense, despite having a fully professional French samanthaball league with lots of dosh in it- the French now pay in more to watch rugby in the grounds than soccer, and watch more rugby on the telly than soccer... AND they're a serious nation. You're now a pseudo-country of pseudo-rugby folk sitting in England, being unable to sing anymore, munching take-aways and watching the wendyball and talking about your 'patriotism' for a 'nation' you sold out and your love of a game you can't be bothered to support. Massive hypocrites the lot of you.

Posted 17:38 25th December 2012

BiggyFint says...

If you remove the incentive of playing for your national side from the equation then it comes down to whether a players loyalty to his region outweighs the huge financial reward of playing in France. You can't build anything sustainable on a shaky foundation. The success of the regions should drive the national side. Wales just has to bite the bullet and stop selecting foreign based players or at least bias selection heavily in favor of Welsh based players.

Posted 13:20 25th December 2012

gowalesgo says...

jontheref

Cardiff City and Swansea City 20,000+ each every week

Posted 10:50 25th December 2012

Sincero says...

Ok, makemehappy- I doled it out, I deserved some back. Sorry to rant, but you do wind me up- I love rugby, and I hate to see it threatened in Wales of all places. Was hoping for some kind of response... anger... anything other than apathy. It's ridiculous. The Welsh are supposed to love the game, so what the hell is going on? If you go down the tubes, then the rugby world is poorer for it, and you're also sinking us all in the Celtic league to boot. So please sort it out. And have a merry Christmas, mate.

Posted 23:43 24th December 2012

TVaddict says...

@Sincero

I thought you hated the English, what's with all the Welsh hate too?

Posted 21:51 24th December 2012

makemehappy says...

Interesting post by Sincero. Some truths but a complete rant too. Clearly there is a problem with the performances of the welsh regions and in some cases their identity. Still work in progress. No evidence that those of us who enjoy rugby should go watch football. Sincero must be a big soccer fan to have such a knowlege of the game!

Posted 16:54 24th December 2012

Sincero says...

"A successful Wales playing at the Millennium Stadium drives rugby."

Not really the case, though, as Wales won the Slam this year playing at a packed M.S., and yet the regions still played to the usual three men and a dog.

Basically, he's suggesting the Welsh supporters only show up for test matches, and only if Wales are doing well, while they let their regions rot and don't give a fig. Cracking standard of support from a 'country' where rugby is claimed as the 'national sport'.

The hardcore support for Wales, and the financial input, seems to come mainly from portly valley lasses dressed as daffodils and trying to get their chubby mugs on the telly. Once Wales start propping up the 6N table again, even they will find better things to do.

And now you're considering going from your original 5 regions to 3? Soccer gets far more punters through the turnstiles in Wales now than rugby, and far bigger t.v. spectatorship. Therefore, why bother with this death by a thousand cuts? Just admit you're in love with nancyball, that you don't really have that much of an interest in rugby, and that you're not proper nation anyway, and pack the lot in? Watch the English samanthaball in the Province of Western England and be done with it. All this 'oh we love arr rhugbai in Wales, boyo...' is a load of B.S., and the figures and balance sheets prove it.

Posted 13:04 24th December 2012