'I think an Anglo-Welsh league would be brilliant': Rob Baxter

Exeter boss Rob Baxter has welcomed the idea of Welsh teams being included in an expanded Gallagher PREM, and his view is supported by other directors of rugby.

Ever since Cardiff and Swansea played rebel friendly fixtures against English sides in front of decent crowds in the late 90s, the idea of an Anglo-Welsh League has had plenty of support.

And Baxter sees the mutual benefits of a cross-border competition, believing that it ‘ticks a lot of boxes’.

“I think an Anglo-Welsh league would be brilliant, I’ve been a big advocate of it for years,” Baxter said at the launch of the new Gallagher PREM season at Alianz Stadium.

“I think we all know clubs are struggling with the amount of games. Welsh clubs seem to be talking about not really wanting to be in the URC, because it’s a financial burden.

“It ticks a lot of boxes. PREM clubs want more games. I don’t want to talk for Welsh clubs, but they don’t seem to really want the travel and disruption that the URC can cause.

“So there’s a bit of an ideal nature to it all.”

Gloucester have frequently tapped into the Welsh talent pool, with national team captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake the latest big names to head over the Severn Bridge.

Their head coach, George Skivington, is another who wouldn’t object to the regions and PREM teams being wedded to each other in a league system.

“I’m not against it,” he told WalesOnline.

“I wouldn’t have given two minutes to the logistics of it. But we’re all the same island.

“It’s very easy from Gloucester in terms of travel. I’ve always enjoyed playing against the Welsh teams. So from my point of view, I wouldn’t be against it at all.”

West Country clubs have a proud history of playing Welsh sides in the amatuer era, and the Anglo-Welsh Cup continued the tradition until being shelved.

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam is another who’d be up for seeing that rivalry renewed.

“We all know the competition needs to go from 10 to 12 teams,” he said.

“If that’s the Welsh teams, that’s great. If it’s someone coming up from the Championship, that’s great.

“Certainly, it’s the natural fit if it’s the Welsh teams because we’re all on the same island. There’s a lot of history between these sides.

“But hey, that’s out of my control. We just control what we can. At the moment, they’re not in but if they were, we’d welcome it.”