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'Have the WRU issued an explanation?' - Former Wales lock Andrew Coombs slams union over £20m loan to regions

By Ian Cameron
The CEO of the WRU has decided not to step down.

Former Wales second row Andrew Coombs has questioned the nature of a £20 million loan taken out in 2020 by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to underwrite the survival of professional rugby in Wales.

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The £20m loan was taken out by the WRU on behalf of the regions by way of the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), with £5.5m going to the Scarlets, £5m to Ospreys and Cardiff Blues, and £4.5m to the Dragons.

The loan was in part to cover the shortfall in the normal payments that the regions enjoy for the provision and ongoing production of players to the union. In a normal year the payment is around £25m, and is significantly more than the revenue generated by television broadcast right, ticket sales and general commercial revenue.

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Big Dev and Big Jim, a chat among locks:

Coombs – who won 10 caps for Wales between 2013 and 2014 – says that the WRU are now rebranding their annual payment to the Welsh regions for services rendered as a loan that the sides must now pay.

Coombs wrote: “1. The WRU are a customer to the regions. 2. In normal times they pay the regions £26m for their services. 3. The effect of Covid reduced their payment from £26m to £3m. 4. WRU borrow £20m to distribute to regions but expect them to pay this back with interest. 5. Why?! How?!”

“The regions have not changed or reduced the service they provide to the WRU! It’s not the fault of the regions that the WRU have to borrow to pay their customer! I’m struggling to understand how this debt is being passed on. The regions provided a Championship winning squad!” continued Coombs.

“It’s the equivalent of walking into a Mercedes garage, buying a new car with finance and telling Mercedes they have to make the repayments for me.”

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The former Dragons forward has now demanded an explanation from the union on the matter: “Have the WRU issued an explanation and their reasons for passing on this debt to the regions? If so where can I find them please?”

Last month the Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Steve Phillips said he is in the process of renegotiating the loan.

“In consultation with Welsh Government, we acted quickly and found a solution –- with a £20m CLBILS loan from NatWest providing the Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets security in the immediate term,” said Phillips in February. “This was at a time when government had other priorities, a direct focus on containment and saving lives around the country. Of course, subsequent to that, the £13.5m grant for the professional game has been both welcome and timely.”

“A final piece in the jigsaw for our professional game will now be to re-address the terms contained within the CLBILS loan. More favourable terms will allow our Regions the opportunity to not only consolidate but remain competitive when the current pandemic leaves us and create the necessary resources to ensure – our stated aim – that Welsh rugby at all levels, survives intact, is competitive and sustainable.”

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The row comes as the performance of the Welsh regions is once again in the spotlight after a dire weekend in Europe in which all four Welsh sides lost. The losses come just over a week after Wales were officially crowned Guinness Six Nations champions, once again drawing attention to the gulf in performance between players on national duty compared to the less glamourous regional circuit.

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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