IS NORTH WALES SET FOR A PRO REGION?
MANY believed it would never happen, but the Welsh Rugby Union have put their cards on the table and want north Wales region RGC 1404 to become a fully fledged professional team competing in the Guinness PRO14 and European tournaments.
Their controversial plan seems to be dependent on two of the current regions merging and has been put on hold for a year after the Ospreys refused to join forces with Cardiff Blues to form a south Wales team following the Scarlets’ refusal to countenance a west Wales alliance with their Swansea-based neighbours.
But how practical is it to upgrade RGC from a development region into the real deal? ANDY HOWELL investigates...
THE IMPACT THE NORTH WALES REGION HAS ALREADY MADE
THE area’s production line is churning out plenty of talent with Lions and Wales star George North the flagbearer.
Fellow internationals James King, Rob McCusker and Robin McBryde have also come through the north Wales system while McCusker’s Ospreys team-mate Olly Cracknell is also from there.
Talented outside-half James Lang moved on to Harlequins while backrow or lock forward Sean Lonsdale was snapped up by Exeter.
North’s pal Jack Roberts shone at centre for Leicester Tigers before joining the Blues.
Further back, Wilf Wooler and Dewi Bebb, who were among Wales’ most famous internationals, both came from north Wales while Bangor RFC was a founding member of the WRU.
THE FORTUNES OF RGC AT SEMIPROFESSIONAL LEVEL
RGC capped their inaugural season in the Welsh Premiership by beating multiple champions Pontypridd in the Welsh Cup final at the Principality Stadium two years ago.
It was an incredible achievement because the region had been formed by the WRU in 2008 and only entered the National League structure four years later.
They shot up the divisions and have consolidated their status despite a host of their leading players having got fully professional contracts with clubs in England and with Wales’ existing regions.
Despite losing seven or eight of their stars at the end of last season, they are eighth in the Premiership this campaign but only eight points off being fifth.
THE PLAYING AND COACHING TALENT
FOUR players – Pedr Jones, Oscar Crowe, Matthew Buchanan and Sam Earl-Jones – have been named in this season’s Wales Under-18 squad.
Back Afon Bagshaw has played for Wales Sevens this year while prop Sam Wainwright was in last year’s Wales Under-20 squad.
RGC provided three players in forward Tim Grey, scrum-half Cameron Davies and full-back star Rhun Williams, who is on the books of Cardiff Blues, to the Wales Under-20 squad that ran its way to an Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam in 2016.
Billy McBryde, the son of Wales forwards coach Robin McBryde, is with RGC after being in that Wales side while former Wales Under-18 scrum-half Efan Jones, back-rower Dan Owens and winger Sam Jones are highly-rated.
The WRU has employed quality coaches at RGC with Wales’ 2005 Grand Slam defence coach Clive Griffiths, former Wales prop Chris Horsman, ex-Scarlets and Cardiff Blues boss Phil Davies having all had spells in charge.
Former Wales wing Mark Jones, who was the country’s attack coach when they mugged England for the 2013 Six Nations title with a record 30-3 thrashing in 2013, has done a splendid job in developing players since being appointed three years ago.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE ALREADY IN PLACE IS IMPRESSIVE
COLWYN Bay’s Stadiwm Zip World, formerly Parc Eirias, has state-of-theart facilities with Conwy Council, along with backing from Sport Wales and the WRU, having heavily invested in it.
The upgraded £6.5m facility opened in 2011 and has a 4G pitch, an athletics track, a gym, an indoor training barn and a hospitality suite.
It has the potential to host events for up to 15,000 spectators with Tom Jones, Elton John, Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie and Little Mix among the pop stars to have held concerts at it.
It normally holds up to 6,080, 2,580 seats with grandstands either side of the pitch and terracing for a further 3,500, for rugby and football matches.
Wales faced RGC in a warm-up match ahead of Tests with Tonga and Samoa two years ago while the ground is home to the Wales Under20 team.
The U20s posted a Welsh record attendance figures for a European title campaign after moving north in 2013.
World Rugby has also recognised the stadium by hosting a number of Test matches at it involving Canada, Russia, Samoa, Tonga, Japan and the United States.
HOW THE NORTH WALES REGION CAME TO BE FORMED
WHEN former WRU chief executive David Moffett was attempting to set up the regional tier in 2003 he wanted north Wales to be part of it, saying: “The last time I looked at a map of Wales north Wales was in Wales and has about one million people, or a third of the population.”
But Moffett’s aim of including them was shot down by the threat of legal action from Cardiff and Llanelli, and Wales ended up with a fudge comprising of the Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Celtic Warriors, Gwent Dragons, Llanelli Scarlets and Cardiff Blues being formed.
Bridgend and Glamorgan valleys region Warriors were wound up after a season, Gwent Dragons added Newport to their name while Llanelli was later dropped by the Scarlets and Neath-Swansea by the Ospreys.
THE WRU DIDN’T ALLOW THE NORTH WALES DREAM TO DIE
THE governing body, at the prompting of the North Wales Rugby Council, realised there was a rich seam of untapped talent and huge potential.
Wales A had played in front of bumper crowds at Wrexham’s Racecourse ground and the six unitary authorities in that part of the country were ready to back plans to develop rugby in their neck of the woods.
A strategic plan was approved by the WRU for the development of rugby in the area and Gogledd Cymru was established with the initial aim of reaching the Welsh Premiership.
In January 2010 the team was renamed RGC 1404 to reflect the