Project Reunion

Calling for true regional rugby that includes the whole of Wales. Every club and fan equally. Fully integrated and aligned. We'd be so much stronger together.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

Love Llanelli, Neath, Swansea, Cardiff & Newport, but EVERY PART OF WALES IS IMPORTANT. Every club and every fan. So, let's… stop the bickering - include everyone - work together - tap into every resource - and finally fulfil our potential.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@VagueRegions @Steffan_Thomas1 I've consistently called for N + E + W as the optimal solution. Didn't like the WRU suggesting E + W without including the N, but hopefully the northern development would be part of a longer term plan after initially rebuilding and stabilising the finances with E + W. 👍

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@VagueRegions Wouldn't be an Anglo-Welsh league. Would be a few Welsh clubs joining The English System - like in football, but...

Yes, I would prefer correct (competitive & sustainable) teams in a sub-optimal league to incorrect (uncompetitive & unsustainable) teams in the optimal league.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

Hope he does abandon the idiotic "axe 1 team" plan - and instead calls for a full restructuring.

Hope he reaches the same correct conclusion that the WRU did. That the rebuild starts with EAST & WEST - unpinned by all the old historic clubs.

If we need 3 teams - look NORTH. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[WalesOnline Rugby @WalesRugby]

BREAKING: New WRU chair prepared to abandon axe plan as he refuses to be a 'yes man' | @Steffan_Thomas1 https://t.co/4t7iD9rNmO

[Hayley Parsons @HayleyParsonsx]

@WelshRugbyUnity @Oweninsouts "I agree it’s a huge problem that needs addressing. I don’t know the answer, sorry. This is not my area of expertise, but I am happy to take your views on it, listen, and learn. Ensuring geographic fairness absolutely should form a core part of the WRU's strategy moving forward.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@Oweninsouts @HayleyParsonsx Fantastic to hear Hayley acknowledge that it's a huge problem. 👍

@JiffyRugby has been keen to share her LinkedIn posts. Wonder if he'd like to share her calls for geographic fairness? Or maybe do the right thing and start calling for it too?

https://t.co/hqLQYnQsJg

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@thetrosk South Wales cannot sustain 4 pro teams. Cardiff & Newport are too close. So are Swansea & Llanelli. 2 larger regions in the South would be far more realistic & sustainable. But having just 2 teams would be problematic for the national side. Hence the need for a 3rd team up North.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@HayleyParsonsx @Oweninsouts Thank you so much for responding. We need a genuine regional tier beneath the national side. Underpinned by ALL the old historic clubs. Let's have them back together and fighting it out at semi-pro level. Renew the old rivalries. No standalone club sides at professional level.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@HayleyParsonsx @Oweninsouts Hi Hayley. Owen has pointed out that you don't seem to have called for a fair restructuring that includes all of Wales.

Don't think you've addressed that in your LinkedIn posts. Wondered if you'd like to address that here instead please?

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@philsteele1 I have the utmost respect for you Phil, and for Jiffy, and for Hayley. But the inability of Welsh rugby to admit the catastrophic mistakes of 2003 is undeniably the root cause of this crisis. The WRU have made mistakes, but they are not miracle workers. This system is unworkable.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@TheVietGwent @Oweninsouts 😂 No, he did not.

But - like Warburton & others - he's learnt a very painful lesson...

No matter how much you've given to Welsh rugby - you'll still be absolutely villified & derided by moronic "Welsh rugby fans" for daring to tell the truth about our joke "regional" system.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@TheVietGwent @Oweninsouts He has definitely called for...
1) Merger in West.
2) Team up North.
3) A team IN (not called) Cardiff - with boundaries redrawn to include Bridgend (praises dropping of Neath & Swansea).
4) A team IN Newport - with boundaries redrawn to include E Glam valleys as well as Gwent.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@Oweninsouts Gats was clear that a merger in the West & a team up North did not mean Cardiff & Dragons remain unchanged. He said boundaries should be redrawn & teams renamed (including dropping place names).

NSEW would have been ideal in 03, but the financial situation now requires 3 teams.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@CharlesRTel "Our professional teams SHOULD REPRESENT clubs and communities"

^ This guy has absolutely nailed the central problem in this 23 year long farce. Only way to correct it is to have genuine inclusive regional sides between the old historic clubs and the national side. So simple.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@CharlesRTel Fantastic piece 🙌

An intelligent man with deep Welsh rugby knowledge, financial expertise and extensive elite sports governance experience...

And he's not afraid to say that "regional rugby" has failed - in terms of the FINANCIAL MODEL and BRANDING and SPECTATOR ENGAGEMENT.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@KiddsL47940 @welshHaz85 So I think that’s 11 total right?

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

It's absolutely insane that people are still talking about Welsh rugby being able to afford 4 pro sides. Genuinely delusional. Would be amusing if it wasn't so sad.

Welsh rugby is dead. It's been killed by a 23 (or 31) year long pig-headed refusal to do regional rugby properly.

[BBC ScrumV @BBCScrumV]

“Welsh rugby should be asking itself what it needs to do to stay at four” 🏉

Scarlets managing director John Daniels discusses the WRU’s proposed plans to cut a region on the Scrum V podcast.

Listen on BBC Sounds 🎧

#BBCRugby #Rugby

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@thetrosk @idris_richard The WRU have given this a lot of thought & looked at a lot of data. They correctly concluded that 4 pro teams in S Wales was totally unsustainable. They wanted mergers to form East & West. This was rejected by pro team owners & fans. WRU have been forced down this current path.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@thetrosk @idris_richard I agree & it's sad. But a % of Dragons fans would go. And a % of Cardiff fans would stick around too (despite the claims of many). And many rugby fans in East Wales who don't currently support a pro team would go. There's huge potential for growth in an area of 1.4-1.5 million.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@BenAronov Yup. And they don't care that keeping 4 uncompetitive and poorly supported "regions" on life support has led to the inevitable collapse of the national side. Anything to keep their side barely alive & to avoid having to admit that this hybrid superclub system was a huge mistake.

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@thetrosk @idris_richard Loads of fans swore to walk away if Neath & Swansea merged. A very small number did refuse to support Ospreys - and watched semi-pro (nothing wrong with that) - but most got on board and crowds were really big in no time (e.g. capacity crowd of 10,280 in their 2nd season).

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@wynlap Would be miles better than the deeply unfair, appallingly incoherent and laughably unsustainable "system" we have at present 👍
https://t.co/KIDEi3QJuk

[Project Reunion @WelshRugbyUnity]

@cymrojones Superb post. S Wales can't support more than 2 pro teams. The EAST & WEST split makes the most sense. We need to try a 3rd team up NORTH, but if that isn't feasible then we have to be content with just 2 down South. Trying to have 3 in S Wales won't work. And 4 is insanity.