Rugby chiefs have invited a tiger to tea

THIS is written to second the admirable observations of your contributor Mr Ian Seaton (WM letters, October 29), published under the heading “Our rugby masters have sold us out”.

They have indeed. I write this on the morning of October 30, the day Wales are going to play New Zealand at the Principality Stadium.

Who will win? Frankly, I don’t care.

Time was when such a morning would have been one of eager anticipation and nervous excitement for me, certainly, but also for many others, club members and close followers of the game of course, but also thousands of casual followers, old and young, Auntie Maud and Mr Jones next door, who could just switch on their TV and watch.

That was when, as Mr Seaton puts it, “The game belonged to the nation and its people.” Now no more.

Apart from arranging the game outside the autumn “window”, and thus guaranteeing a weakened Welsh team, the WRU has put it behind a paywall.

They have, again in Mr Seaton’s words, excluded “many older, lifelong supporters of Wales who have neither the technical ability nor the financial resources” to sign up to the deal.

And then there are those of us who have (if in my case only just!) the technical ability, and the financial resources, but who do not wish to feed the fat cuckoo that has laid its eggs in our nest – that is, Amazon.

Already this vast enterprise has devastated the book trade.

It’s been largely responsible for turning our high streets into deserts.

And now its greedy eyes are on our media.

Some naïve observers have actually praised Amazon for offering a Welsh-language commentary, as if this were a generous gesture.

No, on the contrary; this merely confirms their monopolising ambitions.

The WRU should have nothing to do with this corporation.

Its decision-makers are probably

congratulating themselves on making a lucrative deal.

Instead what they have done is invite a tiger to tea.

Robert Williams Aberystwyth