Then there were three

[UKHamlet]

The WRU is doing more backpedalling than a trick cyclist these days. The risible two proteams plan has been abandoned. Now it looks like two plus one, or even one plus two plus one. The latter suggestion is the one I favour, with one club getting about 8 mill funding, two getting five to six mill, and one club four mill.

So, a superclub to compete at the top level
Two middle table plodders
A perennial development team

I would like the superclub to be Cardiff, but I can see a strong argument for it being Swansea based.

The Dragons have the best financial backing right now, so they'll probably be rewarded for their probity by being relegated to forever also-ran status, unless they can paddle their own canoe up the rapids.

The Scarlets don't have the numbers going through the turnstile to warrant superclub status, but they do have a history of producing some of the best homegrown talent.

The Ospreys and Cardiff have the numbers but also the history. Cardiff is the most famous club in the world, invented the modern 8+7 game, and have always been the club most likely to play the game "The Welsh Way". The Ospreys, on the other hand, are arguably the most successful team in Wales in the pro era.

Whichever choice the WRU makes, it's hard not to see both Cardiff and Swansea based teams surviving. What to do with others is where the friction lies.

https://www-walesonline-co-uk.cdn.amppr ... m-32580383

[Sandydragon]

It seems a good many people are speculating that it was always the intention to have three. The arguments over two were just a tactic to get everyone upset and accept the compromise.

But, many of the issues remain. Most importantly which club disappears? You can make a case for each to be dissolved and each to be retained. And whoever kisses out is unlikely to go quietly. The easiest to cull would be Cardiff, but I can’t see that happening.

Also, will the URC accept three teams rather than four? Maybe that won’t be an issue if American teams are also included.

This ain’t over and it will rumble on for months.

[Son of Mathonwy]

I suspect that the 2 club model was a threat to be used in the negotiations rather than a serious plan (although it had to be fully spec'd up to be a credible threat).

Obviously I hope we keep the 4 teams, probably with a 2+2 funding structure.

1+2+1 wouldn't be so good, only giving us 1 truly competitive team and making intra-Wales contests uncompetitive. And I think they'd make Cardiff the top team, because Cardiff .

[UKHamlet]

I suspect that the 2 club model was a threat to be used in the negotiations rather than a serious plan (although it had to be fully spec'd up to be a credible threat).

Obviously I hope we keep the 4 teams, probably with a 2+2 funding structure.

1+2+1 wouldn't be so good, only giving us 1 truly competitive team and making intra-Wales contests uncompetitive. And I think they'd make Cardiff the top team, because Cardiff .

From my perspective, this would be a curate's egg. Good because... Cardiff. Bad because we need two top teams. Minimum. Also, can imagine an Os or Scarlets team coming to CAP so fired up they'd restart the Port Talbot furnaces on the way down. The sole objective of the season would be to turn Cardiff over. They'd rest players for months just to get that result. The same goes for any other team getting top funding, but especially Cardiff.

My favoured outcome is two teams with £8 mill, and two teams with £4 mill. The teams with the best funding atm are the Dragons and the Scarlets.
QED, the Ospreys and Cardiff get the big bucks.

We should also aim to track the top-funded teams in the URC, or whatever league we end up in. Obviously, we can't compete with the French, but we can compete with the Irish, Scots, Italians, and the South Africans. The second-tier teams should get incremental increases as and when finances permit.

[Son of Mathonwy]

I suspect that the 2 club model was a threat to be used in the negotiations rather than a serious plan (although it had to be fully spec'd up to be a credible threat).

Obviously I hope we keep the 4 teams, probably with a 2+2 funding structure.

1+2+1 wouldn't be so good, only giving us 1 truly competitive team and making intra-Wales contests uncompetitive. And I think they'd make Cardiff the top team, because Cardiff .

From my perspective, this would be a curate's egg. Good because... Cardiff. Bad because we need two top teams. Minimum. Also, can imagine an Os or Scarlets team coming to CAP so fired up they'd restart the Port Talbot furnaces on the way down. The sole objective of the season would be to turn Cardiff over. They'd rest players for months just to get that result. The same goes for any other team getting top funding, but especially Cardiff.

My favoured outcome is two teams with £8 mill, and two teams with £4 mill. The teams with the best funding atm are the Dragons and the Scarlets.
QED, the Ospreys and Cardiff get the big bucks.

We should also aim to track the top-funded teams in the URC, or whatever league we end up in. Obviously, we can't compete with the French, but we can compete with the Irish, Scots, Italians, and the South Africans. The second-tier teams should get incremental increases as and when finances permit.

Yep, well we're agreed, just need to convince the WRU.

[Sandydragon]

Focusing on one team feels like putting all the eggs in one basket. It has to be a minimum of two teams pushing for silverware to get a core of players in a good place. 2+2 seems the best option right now.