WRU to make up the money......

The WRU have a million quid set aside for the regions to keep their star players according to old snake tongue Roger Lewis, but they must sigh  a union agreement, if the regions jump ship, then they will be thrown out of the Rabo and they would not get any referees for their games, so what do we all think, should the regions jump ship and play with the franglos or should they stick with the WRU, and keep their bread and butter with the Rabo ?

Admins, can we please move this to the club section. 

Or the third possibility. The regions join the CC with the WRU approval. Fingers crossed.

Read this somewhere....
"Faced with a stream of top players leaving Wales to play in England and France, as well as a barrage of embarrassing results at both international and domestic level, the WRU has been forced to act to stop the rot from setting in permanently. At a packed press conference in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the WRU unveiled its 'Reality Rugby Pathway Project' (RRPP).
The RRPP programme will seek to ensure that Wales' top players have the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the lucrative world of reality television once they retire from the game."

I'm really not too concerned, the academy of the Ospreys is one of the best in the World. We churn out international players easily. We lose so many players every year and yet young kids from Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend and Swansea step into their shoes.

Justin Tipuric is a great example he started his first season as 5th choice openside and by the end of the season he was first choice as a result of career ending injuries and retirements. While we now have Sam Lewis pushing him.

We lose Adam Jones we have Jo Rees ready, and then another international in Arron Jarvis behind him.

We lose Alun-Wyn Jones or Ian Evans, we have Lloyd Peers, Jack Jones, or James King to step in. We lost Paul James we have Ryan Bevington to step in, and Duncan Jones to support him.

We lost Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe and Nikki Walker in the same season, then Dirksen comes along and gets try of the season last year with Eli Walker doing great. As well as that we can also afford to give Tom Prydie, Wales youngest ever international too the Dragons and Kristian Phillips to the Scarlets.

Lose Gavin Henson and James Hook, we simply develop Dan Biggar, and have Sam Davies the world player of the year and Matthew Morgan behind him.

We lost Huw Bennett, we still have Richard Hibbard and now Scott Baldwin pushing behind him.

The simple fact is with the depth and talent coming from the Ospreys academy we always have a strong group of players ready to replace any players who might choose to move on.

Even Ryan Jones will feel some heat soon because Morgan Allen has been doing great this season and Dan Baker is also on the way.

Shifty, surely you want the Ospreys to make an impact on European rugby at some point though?

While the Ospreys and most of the Pro 12 teams academies are producing great talent, it is unlikely to create a winning team. Players take time to develop and gain experience.

So if you have player 'A' a quality experienced international, and player 'B' has the potential to be as good as 'A'.

If you keep losing Player 'A's' and replacing them with 'B's' you will have a team that has the potential to be a very good team, and if the 'B's' leave whenever they are 'A's' that team will never develop to its full potential. At some point the player with potential will not live up to exceptions (will become a decent player we'll call player 'C' and the team will be weaker for having let 'A' go.

A team made up of 'B's' and 'C's' will never be as good as a team of 'A's' and 'B's'.

To illustrate my point

Ospreys are currently ranked 20th this time last year they were 8th and the year before 9th

http://www.eurorugby.com/modules.php?name=Rhistorical

Welsh Regional rugby is geared for international success not regional success - it remains a breeding ground - a 1/4 final HC would be an achievement. In the meantime we have to settle for 2011 RWC semi-final courtesy of A Rolland a GS in 2012 and a 6 nations championship in 2013. I don't share the doom and gloom on here  

Cyril wrote:Shifty, surely you want the Ospreys to make an impact on European rugby at some point though?

What you need to win the European Cup is what we dont have and thats money.
Leinster produce great players but they also have the funds to bring in quality players from abroad to suppliment their squad, when was the last time the Ospreys brought in a foreign player of any note?
We have to take our chances with unknown players like Dmitri Arhip, Aisea Natoga, etc and hope for the best.

Shifty wrote:I'm really not too concerned, the academy of the Ospreys is one of the best in the World.  We churn out international players easily.  We lose so many players every year and yet young kids from Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend and Swansea step into their shoes.  

Justin Tipuric is a great example he started his first season as 5th choice openside and by the end of the season he was first choice as a result of career ending injuries and retirements.  While we now have Sam Lewis pushing him.

We lose Adam Jones we have Jo Rees ready, and then another international in Arron Jarvis behind him.  

We lose Alun-Wyn Jones or Ian Evans, we have Lloyd Peers, Jack Jones, or James King to step in.  We lost Paul James we have Ryan Bevington to step in, and Duncan Jones to support him.  

We lost Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe and Nikki Walker in the same season, then Dirksen comes along and gets try of the season last year with Eli Walker doing great.  As well as that we can also afford to give Tom Prydie, Wales youngest ever international too the Dragons and Kristian Phillips to the Scarlets.

Lose Gavin Henson and James Hook, we simply develop Dan Biggar, and have Sam Davies the world player of the year and Matthew Morgan behind him.  

We lost Huw Bennett, we still have Richard Hibbard and now Scott Baldwin pushing behind him.

The simple fact is with the depth and talent coming from the Ospreys academy we always have a strong group of players ready to replace any players who might choose to move on.

Even Ryan Jones will feel some heat soon because Morgan Allen has been doing great this season and Dan Baker is also on the way.

EXCELLENT POST AND AN EXCELLENT MINDSET.

The thing that made the Osprey such a fragmented side 4-6 years ago was the likes of Henson and his fellow lemins who led a "Beckhamesque" life style more interested in fame and fortune outside of the rugby environment that gave him the chance in life. The WRU (and The Ospreys) loved this celeb figure head as an instant marketing tool and with such inward thinking didn't realise the disruptive influence this had on game in Wales.

If the regions/provinces/clubs concentrated on nurturing local talent and development programmes with feeder clubs both within their catchment area and perhaps with associated European clubs i.e. having that "feel good factor" then I am sure we would encourage a more loyal fan base and retain them and you wouldn't have to worry about the Foxy Davies, Sextons, Hooks, Phillips, Byrnes, Charteris, Ian Evans et all leaving their clubs and chasing the dollar. The excuse of financial security is a bit lame as the majority of these players prolong their very lucrative careers with autobiographies, coaching, media work, motivational training, or associated with companies as a marketing figurehead...... plus of course their weekly very well paid "after dinner speaking".

The Unions and clubs should really concentrate on youth development, club loyalty and succession planning.

LordDowlais wrote:Admins, can we please move this to the club section. 

Done that now, just shy of two months after you asked, now there is speed for you!

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:Admins, can we please move this to the club section. 

Done that now, just shy of two months after you asked, now there is speed for you!

Spidey do you also work in Rugby Union administration in Wales...?

And if so i think we all want to know whether bribes help?