RUGBY REVAMP: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
WRU chiefs insist a radical shake-up of Welsh rugby is essential if Wales is to be competitive at the 2023 World Cup in France.
The country’s four regions – Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – will run Under-23 teams next season in an effort to improve the pathway to the Guinness PRO14, European tournaments and the Test arena.
And the number of clubs in the Premiership will be slashed from 16 to 12 at the end of the 2018-19 campaign with the bottom four finishers being relegated.
The major overhaul was prompted by the results of a competition review conducted by independent consultants and approved by WRU directors.
“We wanted a vibrant, sustainable club rugby model and we wanted the level below the regions to support the player development pathway to make Wales successful at the 2023 and 2027 World Cups,” said WRU head of rugby performance Geraint John.
“Those were the two key objectives – Wales to be successful, but also a vibrant club system.”
WRU directors also want a reduction in the size of the board and new time limits on how long people can serve, with a maximum of nine years being proposed.
The board want a cut in numbers from its current 20 to no more than 12 to provide a more streamlined and modernised administration.
A Community Rugby Council would also be established, along with two distinct sub-boards, one for club rugby and one for the professional game.
WRU chairman Gareth Davies’ blueprint for change ran into trouble last month when the board blocked his call for five local boards to replace the existing nine districts.
It also rejected the idea of directors being selected rather than elected. But, after being modified, the plans have received the backing of the board and will be voted on by member clubs at this year’s annual general meeting in October, with a 75 per cent mandate required for them to be passed.
“Welsh rugby deserves a governance structure that is modern and fit for purpose,” said Davies.
“It is vital to safeguard our standing in the world game, we give ourselves the ability to innovate and be forward thinking while protecting everything that makes rugby in Wales so special.”
THERE are major changes on the way in Welsh rugby, with Regional U23 sides being introduced from next season and the Premiership to be cut from 16 to 12 clubs from 2019.
These radical reforms are the end product of a exhaustive Competition Review commissioned by the WRU, with the proposals having been passed by the Board of Directors.
So, what was the reason for the review, what exactly has been decided and what will it mean for the game in this country. Rugby correspondent SIMON
THOMAS sat down with WRU Head of Rugby Performance Geraint John to get the full inside story...
Q: What was the thinking behind carrying out the Competition Review?
A: One of the key things I’ve noticed since coming back to Wales is people asking what do we need below regional rugby and what is the Premiership.
Everyone has their our own views and thoughts on that, so we needed independent people who could go and away and ask the questions.
We appointed consultants and gave them a couple of aims.
We wanted a vibrant, sustainable club rugby model and we wanted the level below the regions to support the player development pathway to make Wales successful at the 2023 and 2027 World Cups.
Those were the two key objectives - Wales to be successful, but also a vibrant club system.
Q: What was the process that you went through with the review?
A: I have to say I have never been involved in anything as thorough as this before.
We did workshops with the Premiership and Championship clubs and with the regions. There were online surveys of clubs, supporters and players, with the media being asked for their views as well.
The consultants spoke to other countries to find out what was going on around the rugby world and they looked at other sports.
They came back with their key findings and those went to a steering group that had two representatives from the Premiership, two from the Regions, two from the executive board, two board members, two independents,
We discussed it internally as a steering group and the model came from that. It was really a case of fine tuning the consultants report.
The findings were that we needed a performance model and a club model.
The question was whether the club model could fit the performance model. That was probably the major discussion.
Q: And what was the outcome of that debate?
A: Essentially, everyone agreed there were two models.
The feedback from the surveys and the consultants report was there was a massive gap between Premiership and pro rugby.
We tracked training sessions and games and the performance model wasn’t right below regional rugby to support player and coaching development.
Nothing against the club model. That’s week-in, week-out rugby and that’s what the club people wanted. They didn’t want the gaps in the season or the conferences that have been there.
Performance models are different. You need a competitive period and you need performance blocks, where they train and do the physical and skill preparation.
So a week-in, week-out club model doesn’t actually support a performance model.
That’s why we had to separate everything out.
We have to make sure our young professionals are fully supported in terms of coaching, medical, conditioning, nutrition, analysis.
Then when it comes to competition, you need the best playing alongside each other, on the best surfaces.
We need to monitor training, the distance they are running, high speed meters. We need to get into the scientific part of playing the game. Some will call that a load of codswallop, but it’s reality now. That’s the world we live in.
The club model of two nights a week does not satisfy a performance model. We haven’t got the facilities, the staff, the infrastructure in the clubs to support a full performance model.
So it had to go into the regions, which is why the consultants went with the U23 model.
Q: Why did you decide upon U23s, how many games will the team play and who will they play against?
A: We have done a lot of research into quality teams. If you look at the Scarlets winning the PRO14, how old was their youngest player? 23. If you look at New Zealand winning the World Cup, it’s a 22 to 34 age span.
The question is what is happening to the players aged 18 to 22, where are they playing, what are they doing? We have a good model up to 20, but what do they do after that?
We have got to keep developing these players and give them opportunity to play because they are crucial to our future.
Some young players are having seven or eight coaches a season. They could have different coaches in the PRO14, Anglo-Welsh, B&I Cup, Wales U20s, Wales Sevens, Premiership, Fosters 7s. That makes no sense and is no good for development. We can’t keep doing this.
How many games do we want? Probably 10 to 12 at the start and end of the season. There will be one block of games in September/October and another in April.
We don’t want to play during the international periods because we would just be too stretched. And we want a four week performance block period in December, where we can take a quality group out of competition mode and give them more physical preparation and skill development.
We will play against ourselves and we are also in discussions with other countries, Ireland and Scotland. Playing against sides outside of Wales is an important part of developing players and coaches. Q: Will there scope for any overage players to be involved in the U23 teams? A: Yes there will. The exact number we haven’t decided yet. It could be five or six. It could be an opportunity for an international player coming back from injury for example. Q: What happens to the U23 players between November and March? Will any of them go to play for Premiership clubs? A: If the regions feel that is the best place for the player, then yes.
Some will go into the PRO14 regional set up, particularly during the international periods, while we know there will be opportunities created by injuries there too.
We have also got the Wales Sevens programme. If a young player would benefit from being part of that, then that’s where he should go. You have got the Six Nations U20s as well. It’s about what is right for the player. Q: How will these new U23 teams be funded? A: We have a certain amount of money which goes to the Premiership and the Championship. We looked at that and felt that was sufficient to cover the U23s, while doing our club
model as well. The whole pot remains the same. It is a question of reallocation.
Q: So, to cut to the chase, will any money be taken from the Premiership clubs to finance the U23s?
A: Yes it will, because the performance part that was covered in that Premiership payment is now with the U23s. The funding to the Premiership clubs will be reduced under a set criteria over a period of time. The criteria will be coaching, medical provision, fields and pitches, transport etc. One thing we are not going to do is give money to clubs and say put that into players’ pockets. We are not going to change the funding for next season. What’s been agreed has been agreed. So the Union is going to put extra resources in next year to fund U23s. But then, after that, we are going to reduce the core grants to the Premiership clubs over a period of time. It will be a graded reduction, so they can get business plans in place, and there will be parachute payments for teams relegated from the Premiership to the Championship. We are also going to put a commercial business person in to support the clubs to help them become sustainable. We are going to increase the Championship grant a bit more, as there is a big gap in funding between the two leagues at present.
Q: The Premiership is to be cut from 16 clubs to 12 as part of the changes. What’s the reason for that?
A: At present, we have got 560 players playing in the Premiership, plus over 200 people playing in regional rugby. Do we actually have 750 players in our performance model? The answer was no.
The consultants felt we needed to get to 12, looking at the amount of players we had, and in order to make it competitive.
It also allows for regular home and away fixtures and promotion and relegation, which is what the clubs wanted.
The Premiership clubs have said there is too much toing and froing of players back and fore between club and region. For example, Cardiff RFC used 67 players in one season. You can go to watch a club from one week to the next and see a different 15 players. That’s not good for anyone. So the clubs will become more self-contained.
We are also working with other countries on a cross-border club competition for our Premiership clubs because supporters told us they missed the British & Irish Cup. They enjoyed the travelling. That will be funded by the Union.
Q: What will be the format in the Premiership next season in the final year with 16 clubs?
A: It’s is supposed to be East-West conferences again. That’s what the Premiership clubs agreed that they wanted for this season and next. We are going to going to go back to them and ask if that’s still what they want or do they want a straight home and away league. We are willing to do that.
Q: Why have you decided to go straight from 16 clubs to 12 in one go at the end of next season?
A: There was a big discussion over whether it should be over a transitional phase. But it was felt if we all agree on the principle of 12, let’s get there as quickly as possible. It was as simple as that.
Q: Four teams will be relegated automatically and then we here there may be a play-off between the 12th club and the Championship winners. Why that system?
A: The debate was should five be relegated rather than four. That was another big discussion. The consultants view was that five down was really, really radical and it would be far fairer for the first year for the fifth from bottom team to have a play-off with the top of the Championship, home and away.
In the years after that, there will one up, one down automatically. There may also be a play-off between the second from bottom and the runners up in Championship, but that’s yet to be confirmed.
What came out of the review process is people like play-offs - media, TV - it’s a good selling tool and can help to grow the product.
Q: You could have a situation where the top team in the Championship win every game in their league and then everything hinges on another two play-off matches. Pontypool have already expressed their unhappiness over that idea.
A: I can totally sympathise with them. We understand in all of this we are not going to be liked or please everyone.