SPORT Dragons takeover unveiled by WRU
The doomsday scenario of Newport Gwent Dragons going out of existence was underlined as the Welsh Rugby Union yesterday went public on their proposed takeover of the struggling Region.
In a press conference unusually called before the deal is complete, WRU chairman Gareth Davies and chief executive Martyn Phillips mapped out the governing body’s intention to assume total control of the running of the Dragons, as well as full ownership of their Rodney Parade home.
Their ambitious plans include taking charge of all player and coaching contracts, as well as Dragons administrative staff, to change the name of the Region to Dragons and drop the cumbersome Newport Gwent prefix, and to sort out once and for all the problems with a pitch susceptible to flooding.
But the WRU still need 75% of Newport RFC shareholders to vote through their takeover in an early May ballot or the whole deal will collapse.
Dragons boss Stuart Davies, who was present at the media briefing with Phillips and Gareth Davies, left nobody in any doubt about the consequences of that turn of events.
“If the proposal isn’t supported any number of scenarios are triggered that will lead to the collapse of the group,” said Davies.
“Rugby in any guise will discontinue at Rodney Parade because it will probably result in an enforced sale of the ground. The Dragons would disappear and Newport RFC would be drawn into it as well.”
Meanwhile Phillips stressed that the WRU is going into a deal costing “millions” with the best intentions.
He said: “There’s no question this is a rugby decision, it’s the only justification we can have for doing this.
“We feel we have a responsibility to step in. We have tested the tolerances we can take, we’re not going in there to lose money we have to try and make it work.
“We believe we can manage within the resources that we have.
“The alternative is we watch it go and that wouldn’t feel great. We are going in with the intention of giving it a really good shot but it does rely on the people of Gwent getting behind it. There are no guarantees and we haven’t got limitless resources, so we have to be very adept at how we do this.”
Takeover analysis: Pages 50&51 it