BIG RUGBY SHAKE-UP WILL WORK, INSIST REGIONS’ COACHES
THE four coaches of the Welsh regions have backed the plans for a new regional under-23 competition following criticism.
Former Scarlets coach Nigel Davies offered a damning assessment of the new structure, claiming that the new under-23 teams were not fit for purpose.
We sat down with all four regional coaches at the launch of the Guinness PRO14 in Glasgow and when we put those comments to them, their views on the matter were very different.
Here’s what they said...
HAVE YOU SEEN THE COMMENTS FROM NIGEL DAVIES ABOUT THE UNDER-23 TEAMS NOT BEING FIT FOR PURPOSE? HOW DO YOU SEE IT WORKING OUT? Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac:
“It’s not a under-23s so that won’t work out, it’s an A team.
“It’s open. It’s an A team. The Celtic League is an A Team.”
SO, WILL IT BE BENEFICIAL? WP:
“From my point of view I think it’s fantastic.
“The standard of rugby in semi-pro, the drop off from the level we’re playing at down there and some of the grounds you play at, it’s not conducive for the sort of rugby we want to play personally.
“So, I think rather than having our players going off to three semi-pro teams, they’re now all being together using the style of football that we’re playing.
“The A coaches are with us. We train together on the Monday and Tuesday of the week.
“If we had our way they’d play on a Saturday, we’d play on a Saturday, so we’d train against each other on a Thursday as well.
“It’s good for the preparation. They’re part of our reviews and previews, the development side of it.
“It’s a good tool also for some of your top players who are coming back from injury and can play.
“So, I see it as a positive and moving forward when the Scottish jump in next year, it will hopefully just grow.”
Dragons head coach Bernard Jackman:
“I think the same.
“I think it’s a brilliant opportunity to develop Welsh coaches as well because they actually get used to getting a team in pre-season, whether it’s two or three weeks beforehand or four or five weeks, building them towards the first game,
“I think we’re all playing a couple of friendlies, and then into a block of games where they get used to that process of preview and review.
“You can then fix things that didn’t work well and adapt and go again and get some consistency with a group of players.
“The issue with the British and Irish Cup was it was sporadic during the season so you might get players for two weeks.
“You were dragging players in from the Premiership, you’re affecting the Premiership whereas now we get a chance as regions to develop coaches and players at the same time.
“Particularly at the start of the season, apart from international players, we generally have low injury profiles so we actually have players available and then the guys who do well will put a hand up to come in and play regional rugby in the PRO14 or Challenge Cup and Champions Cup later on in the year.
“I think it’s definitely a useful tool and it’s obviously the first year, so we’ve got to get behind it. I think it can definitely benefit the game.”
WP: “I think as coaches, you also look at what we’re in the game for.
“Obviously we’re there to win trophies for our club but also I would say 50 per cent of it is to help develop rugby players to achieve their goals.
“So for me, a semi-pro team or premiership team, if there’s this new competition going on, I’d be looking to promote my players into their side which is a stepping stone then into the Scarlets or the Dragons, the Blues or the Ospreys and from there it’s national honours.
“Everyone’s got a link in the chain if you like and you’ve just got to understand what your role is I guess.
“I think it’s going to be tough for some of the Premiership sides but it’s what you want to get out of it is the question you’ve got to ask and if it’s to win that championship, then that might be blocking the pathway for some young players.
“So maybe with this competition, we can probably support both ways of going about it.”
Cardiff Blues head coach John Mulvihill:
“There’s not a coach here who’s said I want to go and win the A competition.
“We just want our players to be playing rugby, particularly at that part of the year, regardless of if there’s a prize at the end of it.
“They get exposure, they get a little bit of travel, they’re in a professional environment and only good can come out of it.
“The best thing I think for the Cardiff Blues and all us is that when you start the PRO14, some boys are going to miss out who might not play rugby then. They’ll train but that’s different to playing.
“They might not play for two or three months so they get they get six weeks of rugby and some of them will stand up and get chosen for the starting team or the bench for the top team at some stage in the year based on the performances earlier.
“So I think we’ve got to have more of a cup half full than an empty mentality on the whole thing.”
Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke:
“I think it’s fair to say none of us don’t recognise the place that club footy has got at amateur level. We’re all club men at heart, that’s where we started from started.
“But equally, it’s six games at the beginning of the season. You have like-minded players playing the game in a like-minded way with physical development against opposition from across the pond.
I think that’s challenging in itself and it helps not just identify those players who’ve got the skill sets to move forward but also those who have got the character to deal with away in the likes of Munster,
Connacht and Ulster.”
BJ: “The reality is there’s no point being the best hooker at the Dragons in the underage set up. Realistically if you going to have a career, you need to be best in Wales or the best in the world because we can recruit from anywhere.
“So for those youngsters who play or experienced players who come back, it’s a chance to test themselves against people outside the region in a competitive game which is different from training, so it’s only positive from my point of view.”