Ospreys and Ealing 12:07 - Mar 7 with 5929 views | Togg | A lot of talk about a possible merger between the two sides. How it would work, I don't know but probably it will mean the end of professional first class Rugby in Swansea. Let's be honest the WRU have been itching to get rid of the Ospreys. Arguably the most successful Welsh side of recent times and the team which truly tried to make regions work. Welsh Rugby is a mess at the moment (again) theres talk of some players at Cardiff Rugby being offered contracts of £30k. Would you put your body and health on the line as a professional sportsman for that amount? https://www.therugbypaper.co.uk/features/blindside-rugby-transfer-column/372536/ [Post edited 7 Mar 2023 12:08]
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Ospreys and Ealing on 00:56 - Mar 10 with 1193 views | Robbie | Always enjoyed my rugby , as a fan even going back to when it was the to 5 Nations . Travelled to the Old Arms Park to watch Wales in the 70 s , tickets were gold dust to get . Gnoll , St. Helens with Glamorgan also , The Vetch were my young sporting memories . Ask me to name the Welsh 15 on Saturday v Italy I would struggle to recognise many . Sky and the like have taken away the true fanbase and are trying to make a business model of sport , that is what they do . put it on the box , lets get the monthly fees in . not me . Wasps and Worcester have folded so maybe a Welsh region next . Sure Cardiff Blues are not too concerned of their future , unlike others . | | | |
Ospreys and Ealing on 09:13 - Mar 10 with 1149 views | max936 |
Ospreys and Ealing on 00:05 - Mar 10 by BarrySwan | Remind me of these successes please? |
Ospreys are the most successful Welsh team in the History of the Celtic League and the Pro 12 for a starters. Wales have won 12 Grand Slams only England have done better in winning 13. You can look up the rest yourself. I'm sure you'll scorn at those achievements though. You have your opinion and I've mine and I'll continue to support Welsh Rugby. | |
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Ospreys and Ealing on 14:50 - Mar 10 with 1107 views | BarrySwan |
Ospreys and Ealing on 09:13 - Mar 10 by max936 | Ospreys are the most successful Welsh team in the History of the Celtic League and the Pro 12 for a starters. Wales have won 12 Grand Slams only England have done better in winning 13. You can look up the rest yourself. I'm sure you'll scorn at those achievements though. You have your opinion and I've mine and I'll continue to support Welsh Rugby. |
Well I'll carry on scorning a setup where parks rugby, the lifeblood of nurturing future Welsh Internationals was basically abandoned by those enjoying decently paid employment plus their free trips to watch the international team around the globe whilst adding ever more season disrupting Autumn international games while Welsh grass roots rugby crashed and burnt in regards to playing numbers. Are you seriously quoting the Ospreys as the most successful of the disaster that is the Welsh regions as a monument to success? You must have missed out all those European cup finals and semi finals that the Ospreys and the other Welsh regions reached when competing against the big boys. Were there any? Never mind actually winning anything. Far from being anti rugby I played for 37 seasons and nagged a TV reporter friend of mine to carry out a survey of the state of Welsh grass roots rugby over 20 years ago because of my opinion that the game was in huge trouble playing numbers wise in Wales. He came back to me in a state of shock having consulted all the regional committees and many clubs. We did a filmed report on ITV national Welsh News highlighting that action was required to save the game but no one of any note lifted a finger to arrest the decline in playing numbers. And here we are 20 odd years later with parks rugby in the gutter and the WRU issuing edicts that clubs can finish the season playing 12 or 13 a side games just to finish the leagues. I'd give the local parks game 5 to 6 years tops until its gone, and I say that based on my observations of watching parks rugby at different locations most Saturdays during the season and looking at empty pitch after empty pitch after empty pitch and cancelled game after cancelled game due to not enough players every single Saturday afternoon. I'm afraid that its too late to save the situation now, perhaps if those in authority had listened to my attempt to draw attention to the precarious situation those years ago the game might have had a chance of being saved as a mass participation sport, or perhaps it was too late even then? But I repeat its certainly too late now unfortunately. I repeat my opinion that players for professional clubs drawing in gates of barely 7,000 should be getting £200 or so a week and if not happy with that get then another job. | | | |
Ospreys and Ealing on 17:32 - Mar 10 with 1087 views | Dr_Winston | Over the past 10-15 years quite a lot of people interested in Sport in South Wales would have attached themselves to one of the big two football teams. They're not going to be all that interested in returning to Rugby now, ditto any kids that they took with them. The youngsters that would come through the ranks to replace players retiring just aren't there in enough numbers. There will still be those who never had any interest in Football and stuck with Rugby but the numbers are now too few, not that they were huge to begin with. | |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
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Ospreys and Ealing on 17:48 - Mar 10 with 1083 views | max936 |
Ospreys and Ealing on 14:50 - Mar 10 by BarrySwan | Well I'll carry on scorning a setup where parks rugby, the lifeblood of nurturing future Welsh Internationals was basically abandoned by those enjoying decently paid employment plus their free trips to watch the international team around the globe whilst adding ever more season disrupting Autumn international games while Welsh grass roots rugby crashed and burnt in regards to playing numbers. Are you seriously quoting the Ospreys as the most successful of the disaster that is the Welsh regions as a monument to success? You must have missed out all those European cup finals and semi finals that the Ospreys and the other Welsh regions reached when competing against the big boys. Were there any? Never mind actually winning anything. Far from being anti rugby I played for 37 seasons and nagged a TV reporter friend of mine to carry out a survey of the state of Welsh grass roots rugby over 20 years ago because of my opinion that the game was in huge trouble playing numbers wise in Wales. He came back to me in a state of shock having consulted all the regional committees and many clubs. We did a filmed report on ITV national Welsh News highlighting that action was required to save the game but no one of any note lifted a finger to arrest the decline in playing numbers. And here we are 20 odd years later with parks rugby in the gutter and the WRU issuing edicts that clubs can finish the season playing 12 or 13 a side games just to finish the leagues. I'd give the local parks game 5 to 6 years tops until its gone, and I say that based on my observations of watching parks rugby at different locations most Saturdays during the season and looking at empty pitch after empty pitch after empty pitch and cancelled game after cancelled game due to not enough players every single Saturday afternoon. I'm afraid that its too late to save the situation now, perhaps if those in authority had listened to my attempt to draw attention to the precarious situation those years ago the game might have had a chance of being saved as a mass participation sport, or perhaps it was too late even then? But I repeat its certainly too late now unfortunately. I repeat my opinion that players for professional clubs drawing in gates of barely 7,000 should be getting £200 or so a week and if not happy with that get then another job. |
"Are you seriously quoting the Ospreys as the most successful of the disaster that is the Welsh regions as a monument to success?" Well it is, its not my opinion its a fact, look it up, what region has done better then? I', taking about them having more success than the other Welsh Regions. Regional Rugby was a bad idea at its inauguration plenty far better than me said so at the time and so it has proved, players aren't to blame for that, that blame lies at the door of the so called rugby "bureaucrats" who couldn't find their arses with both hands, hence the recent and ongoing calamity. I agree with the rest of your post, what rugby enthusiast wouldn't, but like I said you can't blame the players for the actions of those running the game, I don't know Welsh Rugby goes from here, England also have their problems as well, with the recent financial issues that led to two clubs going to the wall. [Post edited 10 Mar 2023 17:49]
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Ospreys and Ealing on 17:52 - Mar 10 with 1081 views | max936 |
Ospreys and Ealing on 17:32 - Mar 10 by Dr_Winston | Over the past 10-15 years quite a lot of people interested in Sport in South Wales would have attached themselves to one of the big two football teams. They're not going to be all that interested in returning to Rugby now, ditto any kids that they took with them. The youngsters that would come through the ranks to replace players retiring just aren't there in enough numbers. There will still be those who never had any interest in Football and stuck with Rugby but the numbers are now too few, not that they were huge to begin with. |
Absolutely, there's lots of other distractions these days as well, the dangers from head injuries will and have taken their toll on Parents being wary of encouraging their children to take the game up as well. | |
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Ospreys and Ealing on 00:56 - Mar 11 with 1047 views | Robbie | Real issue ongoing in Pontardawe now where the playing fields might be turned into a projected Cwmtawe Super School . Attending the Lesiure Centre on days and looking across to the organised events being staged on the pitches for the youngsters , nice one . If it goes ahead , where do they play sport , the car park is always full of parents and coaches trying to support and nurture local talent . Do believe a recent Swansea player who lives in the area has put his point across about it . Doubt NPT Council will backtrack and more sporting facilities will be lost . | | | |
Ospreys and Ealing on 11:18 - Mar 11 with 1025 views | max936 |
Ospreys and Ealing on 00:56 - Mar 11 by Robbie | Real issue ongoing in Pontardawe now where the playing fields might be turned into a projected Cwmtawe Super School . Attending the Lesiure Centre on days and looking across to the organised events being staged on the pitches for the youngsters , nice one . If it goes ahead , where do they play sport , the car park is always full of parents and coaches trying to support and nurture local talent . Do believe a recent Swansea player who lives in the area has put his point across about it . Doubt NPT Council will backtrack and more sporting facilities will be lost . |
Unfortunately Money talks as you know, so if there's a chance of good money to be made that'll be the game changer, I suppose | |
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Ospreys and Ealing on 22:24 - Mar 12 with 988 views | Kilkennyjack |
Ospreys and Ealing on 00:05 - Mar 10 by BarrySwan | Remind me of these successes please? |
‘The Ospreys are the most successful Welsh team in the history of the Celtic League or Pro12 tournament, having won the competition four times. They also became the first and only Welsh regional team to beat a major touring side, defeating Australia 24—16 in 2006.’ | |
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Ospreys and Ealing on 08:42 - Mar 14 with 921 views | PawelAbbott | If Welsh rugby are running out of money as usual then they could do with following the Premier leagues example and do more work in getting an audience in the far East. 44 million Chinese watched the Olympic 7s. Its one if the fastest growing sports in the country. Wales Wear the Chinese lucky cour if red and have a dragon as its emblem. Even 500k chinese shirt sales and a TV deal in China would make the WRU a fortune each year | | | |
Ospreys and Ealing on 10:13 - Mar 14 with 910 views | max936 |
Ospreys and Ealing on 08:42 - Mar 14 by PawelAbbott | If Welsh rugby are running out of money as usual then they could do with following the Premier leagues example and do more work in getting an audience in the far East. 44 million Chinese watched the Olympic 7s. Its one if the fastest growing sports in the country. Wales Wear the Chinese lucky cour if red and have a dragon as its emblem. Even 500k chinese shirt sales and a TV deal in China would make the WRU a fortune each year |
That would be a great idea if the WRU were forward thinking, all they've done up to now is settled for the status quo, whilst enjoying their Jolly Boy outings, while the rest of the Rugby World has embraced professionalism and moved into the new era. [Post edited 14 Mar 2023 12:13]
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Ospreys and Ealing on 11:02 - Mar 14 with 897 views | PawelAbbott |
Ospreys and Ealing on 10:13 - Mar 14 by max936 | That would be a great idea if the WRU were forward thinking, all they've done up to now is settled for the status quo, whilst enjoying their Jolly Boy outings, while the rest of the Rugby World has embraced professionalism and moved into the new era. [Post edited 14 Mar 2023 12:13]
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Send the first team out there for some games against their teams and then a couple of games against the China team. Do that every summer for a few years like Man U etc do. Potential to put a few million in the bank each year | | | |
Ospreys and Ealing on 12:13 - Mar 14 with 888 views | max936 |
Ospreys and Ealing on 11:02 - Mar 14 by PawelAbbott | Send the first team out there for some games against their teams and then a couple of games against the China team. Do that every summer for a few years like Man U etc do. Potential to put a few million in the bank each year |
I agree, but they probably won't even have thought about that and they probably aren't likely to with our political relations with China currently. | |
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Ospreys and Ealing on 14:38 - Mar 14 with 866 views | BarrySwan |
Ospreys and Ealing on 22:24 - Mar 12 by Kilkennyjack | ‘The Ospreys are the most successful Welsh team in the history of the Celtic League or Pro12 tournament, having won the competition four times. They also became the first and only Welsh regional team to beat a major touring side, defeating Australia 24—16 in 2006.’ |
Yes so outstandingly successful in a small semi domestic league without the English clubs that they manage to attract pretty pitiful average crowds My original point of course was not how successful or unsuccessful these regional clubs are but the very obvious fact that to keep from going bust they need to be realistic in their wage payments given the lack of popularity amongst potential income generating customers as evidenced by their paltry crowds. [Post edited 14 Mar 2023 16:16]
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