Cardiff and Caerphilly or Bridgend?
By Webmaster
November 26 2002
Provincial Rugby is again the talking point in Welsh Rugby. New proposals suggest creating provincial teams out of Pontypridd, Cardiff and Caerphilly or Pontypridd and Bridgend. Read on for further details.
PROVINCIAL PLANS
PONTY, CARDIFF AND CAERPHILLY
OR
PONTY AND BRIDGEND
It is understood that there are a new set of plans for provincial rugby in Wales. Whilst the exact details of the plans are unknown, it is understood that there will be five provincial teams set up in Wales which are controlled jointly by the new provincial teams and the Welsh Rugby Union. It is proposed that Pontypridd will be joined with either Cardiff and Caerphilly or Bridgend. Cardiff would probably rather the option of having a province with Caerphilly alone as this will more or less give them complete control of the provincial side. Also, earlier reports have suggested that Pontypridd and Cardiff do not wish to be paired as a provincial side and so the option of Ponty and Bridgend as a club seems more realistic.
The one option will see Pontypridd and Bridgend as one club, Cardiff and Caerphilly as another, Llanelli, Swansea and Neath as another and then Newport and Ebbw Vale as the other provincial club. The second option will see Pontypridd, Cardiff and Caerphilly as one club, Bridgend and Neath as another club, Llanelli and Swansea as the third club and Newport and Ebbw Vale as the fourth provincial club.
At the moment we are unsure as to where the new teams will play their home matches. Will it be alternated between the grounds or will it just be at one of the grounds? Also, if we are placed with Cardiff will Ponty be used as the development team in the Welsh Premiership and Cardiff get to do what they want in the Celtic League? Another possible problem is who will be controlling the clubs. Yes, the Welsh Rugby Union will have some say in what goes on but who will run the club on a day to day basis?
The new teams will each receive approximately £1.5 million in funding from the Welsh Rugby Union and these teams will then compete in a 12 team Celtic League which will be played on a home and away basis and they will also compete in the Heineken Cup.
Below the provincial level, there will be a Welsh Premier Division consisting of the current Premier Division teams and some teams from Division One and these newly created provinces will run a club side in the Celtic League and a development side in the Welsh Premier Division.
These proposals are set to go before the General Committee in December before being voted upon at the Extraordinary General Meeting in January. If the proposals get the go ahead then it is likely that the new system will be in place by the start of next season
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