In Wales, has rugby ever been in a deeper valley? 

Veteran rugby writer Rob Cole has been on the Welsh beat for 46 years. There were times in the 80s and 90s that were the nadir, but the last few years have eclipsed even those dark days.

TRYING TIMES: Vaea Fifita goes over for a Scarlets try in their URC clash with the Dragons at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff last April. Pic: Mike Jones, Inpho

ONE thing is certain, there is never a dull moment in Welsh rugby. The Principality’s national sport continues to lurch from one crisis to another and at the start of what will be my 47th season of covering the action, who knows which way the game will go.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all — the whole general committee walking out at an egm, international players threatening to strike, a coach being sacked in a car park after crashing out of the World Cup, losing to Western Samoa (not even the whole of Samoa) in Cardiff, Romania, Georgia and Fiji winning in the capital, coaches coming and going, CEO’s being sacked, two clubs opting out of the Welsh league to play against English clubs in friendlies, claims of sexism and misogyny and the capital city region going bust — something comes along that tops the lot.

My younger colleagues often ask me if things have ever been so bad? At first I thought there were times both on and off the pitch in the 80s and 90s that were the nadir, but the last few years have eclipsed even those dark days.

Now the game in Wales stands on a precipice. Yes, the 18-match losing streak at international level is over, but new head coach Steve Tandy faces an uncomfortable Autumn Nations Series tackling Argentina, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand.

But it is what is going to precede those games in November that is going to be even more crucial to the future of the game in Wales. Next month will see the WRU board of directors give their verdict on the future make-up of the professional game in Wales.

Since 2003, when David Moffett carved nine clubs (Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd, Swansea) into five regions (Cardiff Blues, Celtic Warriors, Newport-Gwent Dragons, Llanelli Scarlets, Ospreys), life has been a roller-coaster ride for Welsh fans.

The Celtic Warriors became a cash-casualty after one season, but by 2005 there was a first Grand Slam to celebrate since 1978. And they just kept on coming — 2008, 2012 and 2019 — along with further Six Nations titles in 2013 and 2021.

There were World Cup semi-final appearances in 2011 and 2019, a run of five wins in six games against the Springboks 2014-2018 and a brief period as the No 1 ranked team in the world going into the 2019 World Cup. And more Test British & Irish Lions than you could shake a stick at during the series win in Australia in 2013 and tied series in New Zealand in 2017.

During Warren Gatland’s first reign as head coach many things were rosy. He got the most out of his players, but below that it was a different picture. Where once Welsh age grade teams were able to carry all before them, things changed as indifference and under investment took hold.

After the austerity years of Glanmor Griffiths’ tenure as chairman, when the debt for building Principality Stadium became a millstone, Welsh rugby’s improvement in the Test arena under Gatland led to record profits and turn overs of £100m (€114.46).

Anything the national team wanted, they got. The whole success of Welsh rugby was predicated on the results of the Welsh XV. The rest of the professional game was left to bleed, with the antonymous regions being viewed more and more as problem children.

Covid caused further financial chaos for the four regions, adding £5m (€5.72m) each to their debts at an initial interest rate of 11%, and they have struggled ever since. Two summers ago, Cardiff were playing 4 v 4 in training they had so few players and many of their top players were considering becoming painters and decorators to make ends meet.

The players have had to put up with a lot, although they have to share some of the blame. Results at regional level, despite four league titles for the Ospreys, two for the Scarlets and two EPCR Challenge Cup triumphs for Cardiff, all four have slumped to the bottom end of what is now the URC table.

The Dragons — who start their campaign in Belfast Friday night — have won only 10 games in their last 72 URC matches and even players of the calibre of Aaron Wainwright, Elliot Dee and Rio Dyer are running at 20% success rate at Rodney Parade. When you add in a run of 18 Test losses over a near two- year period then it is easy to say that losing has become endemic.

Which leads us to where we currently stand, with the union’s board of directors ready to consider where to cut the regions to two, three or fund two more favourably than the other two. If you go back 22 years, Moffett made the decision to cut four clubs to five regions because they were all bleeding out financially.

THE same is true today in many ways, but instead of strong leadership and affirmative action the game in Wales is being subjected to death by a thousand cuts. 

If the new director of rugby, Dave Reddin’s magical space ship can somehow find a place to land to create a new home for two super clubs boasting men’s and women’s teams, a National Academy for men and women and “an inspirational campus to supercharge collaboration and alignment.”

All the technical jargon and buzz words have been incorporated in the consultation document with the ultimate goal being to bring about “transformational systemic change”. 

The reception the plans have received have been luke-warm at best, with the case for cutting to two teams probably now dead in the water. If it isn’t then even stormier waters lie ahead with further legal action, potential player strikes and great swathes of Welsh fans becoming disenfranchised.

But before we get mired even deeper in the politics of the game, this weekend will see the four regions kick-off in the URC. Don’t be surprised if Scarlets are up to the task of beating Munster at Parc y Scarlets and if Cardiff, even after losing head coach Matt Sherratt to Wales this week, are too good for the Lions at the Arms Park.

The Dragons, even with 19 internationals in their bulked up squad after a swathe of summer signings, look unlikely to end their 10-year wait for a win over Ulster, while the Ospreys will be without the one shining light in the Welsh rugby, Jac Morgan, for their game in Pretoria against the Bulls.

Back in the 1979-80 season when I started reporting rugby for the Western Mail there were 18 teams on the first-class scene. That dropped to 12 when the Heineken Leagues came into play and then went to nine in the early 2000s.

Then there were five regions before the Celtic Warriors dropped out. For the past 21 seasons there have been four as the old three-nation Celtic League has developed into a five-nation, 16-team league.

If the numbers get cut to two there will be no going back — and where will Welsh rugby go from there if that doesn’t work?