Wales should stage Pro14 rugby finals

THE two-part interview with Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips, recently published in the Western Mail, highlighted one glaring omission from the WRU in support of the four Welsh rugby regions. This is their failure to stage any final of the Pro14 and previous Pro12 competitions.

Since the venue for the Pro12/ Pro14 final was pre-arranged, Ireland has staged it on five occasions, Scotland once and is likely to stage next year’s final. Even though Welsh region the Scarlets are the current champions, there is still no sign of Wales staging a final.

It is an extraordinary fact that the Millennium/Principality Rugby Stadium has hosted soccer’s European and FA Cup finals, two World Heavyweight boxing bouts, the world’s leading entertainers and rugby’s World and European Cup finals but has yet to stage the final of its main domestic rugby competition, the Pro12/Pro14.

What an incentive for the Welsh regions with the final to be played in Wales! The spectator interest in the Pro14 competition is likely to increase throughout the season with extra finances for the WRU from staging the final at the season’s end.

Why is this not happening? It appears the WRU is allowing other sporting activities to have priority over this rugby event at the end of May, in what is after all the national rugby stadium. There is a fivemonth gap between the end of May and October to stage these other events.

The Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, capacity 18,000, has staged a Pro12 final. The Liberty Stadium Swansea and Cardiff City Stadium are much larger venues, available at the end of May, and should the Principality Stadium be unavailable why not stage the Pro14 final there?

John Dowden

Barry