It didn’t take long for the euphoria of the selection of
fifteen Welsh players for the British and Irish Lions squad to disappear. All
four of the Welsh regions slumped to defeat on a dismal Friday evening. The defeats
for the Ospreys and Blues away in Leinster and Ulster
would probably predictable but the abject capitulation of the Scarlets at home
to Treviso was
a bit of a shock. The Scarlets were left shell-shocked by an excellent
performance by the Italian side who were more of a match for the home side even
when reduced to thirteen men by yellow cards. To add to the Welsh misery the
Dragons went down in Edinburgh
although they did manage to get a losing bonus point.
So how can the Six Nations champs be such chumps at regional
level and what will happen next season? It’s hard to see how the regions are
going to do anything better with the resources they have. I wonder how many of
the fifteen Welsh Lions will be playing in Wales after next season? Phillips,
Roberts, North, Lydiate and Jenkins have already gone although there is still
talk of Jenkins returning. As happened with Scotland , the Welsh regions are
rapidly becoming feeder clubs for the wealthy French and English clubs. If
there was a two division European league the Welsh regions would be very much
second division. It is probably doubtful whether the Irish provinces could
survive week in week out in what would surely be a brutal and attritional first
division. Maybe it is time to accept the
situation for what it is and hope that the players who seek their fortunes
elsewhere don’t get too banged up to play for Wales. I am not sure even if you
had the money of Croesus you could change things.
Welsh football is of course the complete opposite to rugby
with success stories all over the place at club level and little to shout about
at international level. Perhaps the Welsh rugby regions could learn from Swansea City Cardiff City and Swansea City
Returning to the Lions squad, it was pleasing to note two Pontypool boys: Faletau and Vunipola making the touring
party. Dan Lydiate has also played for Pontypool
once or twice. I felt sorry for Ryan Jones and James Hook but you really can’t
complain about the amount of Welsh representation. I think I would have
preferred to see Best rather than Hartley and possible Zebo instead of Maitland
but, all in all, it looks a strong selection if lacking a little in flair. You
have to admire Jonny Wilkinson not only for his play on the field but also for
being totally professional and honest and turning down a place on the tour. I
still have some fears about Farrell in pressure situations after watching him
lose the plot against Wales
and again for the Saracens against Toulon .
The season is over for Pontypool
but there are still rumours abounding about changes in the league structure and
rules for promotion and relegation. Could the WRU please tell us what the plan
is for the next five years and then stick to it? It would be nice wouldn’t it
but it would probably better to consult Mystic Meg.
