Toy Soldiers

My brother used to play rugby with toy soldiers.

He would lie on the lounge floor, a fourteen year old boy manoeuvring little green plastic men in German or American helmets, for hours on end. The fireside rug was his pitch, the ball imaginary.

Nobody else understood the rules. Sometimes I would ask to join in. A pile of soldiers was the scrum, a sniper the scrum half. I would imaginatively pass the imaginary ball to my outside half who I would pick up, ram through his defence and score.

This made him very annoyed. I was six, so most things did. But what really got his goat was that I was incapable of the mental gymnastics required to "play realistically". I could never manage it.

He was happiest when controlling all the players on both sides. He was anticipating his players likely moves and trying to work strategies to counter or defeat them.

But, he was very competitive, and occasionally the need to beat an opponent got the better of him.

My other brother was twelve. He understood that his sniper couldn't just run off the rug to get around the defence. He was capable of playing the game. But he never won. I can't actually remember him scoring. My elder brother would make up a rule on the spot, which nobody had heard of before, and probably was the opposite to the previous diktat to stem any dangerous attack. Either that or the catch all would be deployed: "that wouldn't happen on the field". So we all tended to leave him to it; which was most often what he wanted and probably for the best.

The last week or two in Welsh rugby has often had me thinking of the fireside mat.

In 2003 the Welsh clubs were like boisterous children. Tolerated by the big boys. Immature and lacking in reason. Upon regionalisation they were like children in a sweet shop. They would spend their last penny (and a few they hadn't had yet) on what they wanted, when they wanted it. They needed to learn that they couldn't defy economics. They had to grow up and it had to be the hard way.

A decade on and the Regions have developed. Whilst each has it's individual character traits and makes its own mistakes, they at least now have the maturity to appreciate the nature of the game.

The WRU of course are behaving just like my elder brother. Not telling you the rules, changing them to suit themselves, relying on some unattainable over riding goal if the rules didn't work.

In their case it's avoiding the player drain. Nobody has explained to me yet why they could make money available to pay George North to play for the Blues, but not for the Scarlets.

Backing up my brothers negotiating...well arguing...position though was his (and our) preparedness to go it alone. He got away with it as he was bigger and older, yes, but mainly because he could take us or leave us.

Can somebody please explain to the WRU that they do not have that luxury when it comes to arguing, sorry negotiating, with the Regions.

I like this post. I don't often comment on posts these days, not often since v1 in fact, but wondered why there had been no response. Perhaps because v2 is becoming the land of the poll and the wind up. Come on everybody up your standard a little and this is the level I would hope the majority would aspire too.

The lack of response OW will have much to do with the time of the OP, it has been rather quiet on here since then.

Add in the non-sensational article headline and the number of views will be down. Also some of us are now reticent to comment on the internal affairs of another country.



Glas, my elder daughter once asked me if we could take her younger sister back and swap her for a new one as she cried too much. You have to suspect that this is partly the case here - and the WRU would be willing to send their little offspring to the orphanage and adopt some new ones.

http://v2journal.com/15/post/2013/04/rugby-toy-soldiers.html

I love the analogy Glas, and there are tons more examples of the WRU's intolerance to accept anyone else into their game.

Think youve asked a very valid question though that not one pro WRU poster till they die will answer...

How does the WRU justify paying Norths wages for the Blues, but totally adimant they won't for the Scarlets? Then how do they have the gall to blame the Scarlets for his leaving Wales???

I am neither pro or anti WRU, but for the last few years or so I have probably sounded like a WRU basher, a doomsday sayer and a conspiracy nut, I just can't put blame anywhere outside of the WRU's doors for a lot of recent events!!!!

The WRU are and havve always been a bunch of no idea amateurs, all they are interested in his filling the MS and hospitality/coppration image.

They have little or no interest in the Regions and are not doing much else below that level either.

Whatever happens now or whatever they do (in a bad sense) would surprise me.

Agree this is sn ecellent thread, nice story Glas.

bedfordwelsh wrote:The WRU are and havve always been a bunch of no idea amateurs, all they are interested in his filling the MS and hospitality/coppration image.

They have little or no interest in the Regions and are not doing much else below that level either.

Whatever happens now or whatever they do (in a bad sense) would surprise me.

I disagree mate, this is just the current regime, previous regimes included...

Egotistical local celebrities,

Revenge minded dictators,

Job sharing blunderbuss's,

and my favourite...

Out of touch purists, who resisted change and fought for true rugby nature.

Infact maybe they are all in this regime too!!!

I don't think the WRU is the problem, it's just the focus they have shifted, and the men they have employed to impliment that focus! Sometimes I am amazed that in every other sector except sport that the best man for the job, the most qualified man for the job, or the guy who can produce the right results will get the job, no matter of age, or who he knows.

Look at some of the most affluent business's in the world, forward thinking men in charge who dictate where the markets going, while keeping the heritage of the industry to keep the loyal customer extremely happy.

Then look at the WRU, a happy little boys club, happy to live off the scraps of the 70's and the odd success of todays national team, and are blinded by the bonus scheme in front of them!

The game may be thriving at int level, but everything underneath is decaying badly, and it's only a matter of time before that rot spreads and the game dies out in Wales as a national past time!

thebluesmancometh wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:The WRU are and havve always been a bunch of no idea amateurs, all they are interested in his filling the MS and hospitality/coppration image.

They have little or no interest in the Regions and are not doing much else below that level either.

Whatever happens now or whatever they do (in a bad sense) would surprise me.

I disagree mate, this is just the current regime, previous regimes included...

Egotistical local celebrities,

Revenge minded dictators,

Job sharing blunderbuss's,

and my favourite...

Out of touch purists, who resisted change and fought for true rugby nature.

Infact maybe they are all in this regime too!!!

I don't think the WRU is the problem, it's just the focus they have shifted, and the men they have employed to impliment that focus! Sometimes I am amazed that in every other sector except sport that the best man for the job, the most qualified man for the job, or the guy who can produce the right results will get the job, no matter of age, or who he knows.

Look at some of the most affluent business's in the world, forward thinking men in charge who dictate where the markets going, while keeping the heritage of the industry to keep the loyal customer extremely happy.

Then look at the WRU, a happy little boys club, happy to live off the scraps of the 70's and the odd success of todays national team, and are blinded by the bonus scheme in front of them!

The game may be thriving at int level, but everything underneath is decaying badly, and it's only a matter of time before that rot spreads and the game dies out in Wales as a national past time!

Blues,

That would be funny if not so so true

bedfordwelsh wrote:

thebluesmancometh wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:The WRU are and havve always been a bunch of no idea amateurs, all they are interested in his filling the MS and hospitality/coppration image.

They have little or no interest in the Regions and are not doing much else below that level either.

Whatever happens now or whatever they do (in a bad sense) would surprise me.

I disagree mate, this is just the current regime, previous regimes included...

Egotistical local celebrities,

Revenge minded dictators,

Job sharing blunderbuss's,

and my favourite...

Out of touch purists, who resisted change and fought for true rugby nature.

Infact maybe they are all in this regime too!!!

I don't think the WRU is the problem, it's just the focus they have shifted, and the men they have employed to impliment that focus! Sometimes I am amazed that in every other sector except sport that the best man for the job, the most qualified man for the job, or the guy who can produce the right results will get the job, no matter of age, or who he knows.

Look at some of the most affluent business's in the world, forward thinking men in charge who dictate where the markets going, while keeping the heritage of the industry to keep the loyal customer extremely happy.

Then look at the WRU, a happy little boys club, happy to live off the scraps of the 70's and the odd success of todays national team, and are blinded by the bonus scheme in front of them!

The game may be thriving at int level, but everything underneath is decaying badly, and it's only a matter of time before that rot spreads and the game dies out in Wales as a national past time!

Blues,

That would be funny if not so so true

Tell me about it

I have this recurring nightmare that I am sat in my living room with my grandkids 40 years from now, explaining who the team of the 70's were, what they acheived for such a small nation, then how the game turned pro (everywhere outside of Wales 5 years earlier) we moved from clubs to regions, and how all that failed despite a few GS's (which were success's in their own right) and then how the Wales team used to be a force in europe... half way through the story I am interupted by one (of the 2 boys) who tells me 'Grandpa, rugbys rubbish, noone plays anymore, can we go watch Cardiff city play Liverpool now?'
Then weeks later I offer to take the grandkids to their first ever rugby match in Bristol (nearest rugby stadium and game to be seen) but the game conflicts with Cardiff City playing QPR at the millenium stadium!!

I wake up in a sweat every time!!

Looking into this from the outside, I would suggest that the system as it currently exists is absolutely fine. However bad it looks, you can't really argue with the results - five Celtic League titles, an Amlin title, and four 6 Nations titles (with three GS) in the past decade. Add to that the fact that the Welsh national side is, for the most part, full to the brim with very talented players below the age of 25 (possibly excepting flyhalf) - you can expect to be good for the next few seasons.

The real problem seems to be the personalities involved, with the regions' owners running the clubs like private fiefdoms, and resenting any attempt at a unified strategy. As far as I am concerned, the national team is and always should be the most important element in a union's thinking - everything should be geared towards international success, and the interests of the club should be secondary. However, this doesn't mean that the actions of Roger Lewis are acceptable - far from it. He seems just genuinely incompetent.

Contrast this with the SRU who, it seems, have complete control over player and management recruitment, and even have an influence on the position certain players will play for their clubs (Harley at 7 before Christmas, and Laidlaw at 10 long after it clearly wasn't a good idea). They rigidly resist any real attempt at modernisation, and seem to resent any intrusion of the media into key decision-making processes such as appointing a national head coach. If I could be sure that decision making was sound, I probably wouldn't mind as much. The current CEO, Mark Dodson, seems pretty switched on, but this is a case the effects of a poor system being alleviated by one useful individual rather than (in the WRU's case) things being the other way around.

On the subject of playing with brothers, my older brother (AndrewBru) and I invented 'Wall Ball' while spending two weeks at a cottage in the Hebrides with no TV, radio or internet. Similar to squash, but played with a football - you aim to kick the ball against a wall, above a 2m high mark, and have the ball return and bounce twice. You can only kick the ball once when returning, but you are allowed as many touches with the knees, chest or head as you want before the kick (all such returns must be on the full volley). Rain, sun or snow (Western Scotland in July), we were there picking up a ridiculous number of bruises and scars (I think I still have grit in my arm). Once, the ball bounced down the road and caused a car crash - we suspended play for two hours out of respect, and until PC Plum cleared off.

We remained pretty much set on the rules after the first game (it's hard to improve on perfection), with new interpretations proposed by IanBru being immediately shot down by AndrewBru as being 'not in the spirit of the game' -

We still play.

This is an excellent post followed by superb retorts.

Great article Glas. Beautifully put. Ye are out there.

As to the core matter of it all, it is way beyond me how the WRU are actively killing the regions who feed them. Where do they think they will get their future stars from? France? England?

It is a crying shame to behold, from the country who have brought us all so much rugby joy. And real Welsh rugby fans should get off the pot and march on WRU HQ, instead of feeding the hand that is killing their regions by scandalous indifference alone.

Dressed as Toy Soldiers. With a hidden sniper in their midst for insurance.

Bru,
That was some story bro. It brought a tear to me glass eye.

We had a very similar game Bru. And of course, drop goal tennis. Tennis court rugby ball, no bounces allowed, or, an imaginary net one bounce allowed.