Welsh clubs support new cup
“I want to strengthen our depth but, at the same time, we are trying to consolidate a core group,” said Johnson. “I’ve got 24 Test matches working back from the World Cup and this is the start of a pretty arduous year.
“Next year we’ve got a Rabo final and we leave on the sunday [after it] to go to Houston, up to Canada, down to Tucuman [argentina] and then over to south africa, and we have sevens at the Commonwealth Games, and we’re all competing for a large number of those players.
“I want competition but I’d like to be able to say that this time next year we’re looking down on who we’re going to argue over for a World Cup squad, so there will be constants in this team but we’re also going to trial a couple of different combinations to see how they will work.” Wales’ four regional teams have pledged “full support” for the proposed Rugby Champions Cup next season.
The announcement, made on behalf of the regions by their umbrella organisation Regional Rugby Wales, comes on the eve of summit talks in Dublin aimed at thrashing out a new tournament agreement for the Heineken Cup and amlin Challenge Cup next season.
Top english and French clubs have no intention of being involved in those discussions, though, forging ahead instead with plans for the Rugby Cham- pions Cup and are currently serving a two-year notice period to quit european Rugby Cuprun competitions, which will be completed next summer.
In a statement, RRW said: “Regional Rugby Wales, on behalf of the four Welsh regions, confirms its full support for the proposed new Rugby Champions Cup competitions.
“Whilst there remain elements of detail to be confirmed, it is now clear that there are a number of significant advantages to the new competitions in equality of governance, format, qualification and distribution across the individual participating clubs.
“Consequently,
RRW
looks forward to working with the WRU (Welsh Rugby Union) to support their efforts and positive engagement in striving to ensure our teams are involved in strong, valuable european clubs competitions in time for next season.”
RRW represents Cardiff Blues, the Ospreys, scarlets and Newport Gwent Dragons. The WRU, scottish Rugby Union and Irish Rugby Union have said their clubs will take no part in any european competition unless it has International Rugby Board backing. The French Rugby Federation is against the Rugby Champions Cup, although the Rugby Football Union has yet to make its position public.