Wales Grand Slam-winning coach Robin McBryde reckons the Welsh game lost “a heck of a lot of support” after the introduction of regional rugby.
Five entities were established in a condensed top tier in 2003, with Celtic Warriors ceasing to exist a year later.
McBryde, forwards coach in the Warren Gatland regime that saw Wales win four Six Nations titles in 12 seasons, including three Grand Slams, admits he isn’t as much in touch with the Welsh game after his move to Leinster in 2019.
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But he feels the game is struggling to generate support under the system that’s in place.
Speaking on The Off-Field Rugby Pod, he says: “When we ended up going to the four regions, we lost a hell of a lot of support as in supporters left the game, because you’re asking Pontypridd supporters to go and support Cardiff [Blues].
“Well, they are your arch enemies, your arch rivals.
“So a lot of people just turned their back on the game, then, and I don’t think they’ve ever come back.
“Even if you look at the regional game now. It’s very rare that you see a half-full stadium, even, other than for a derby or when a big team come to town.
“I don’t know what the answer is.
“Again, I’m just seeing it the way I see it.
“But we need to get that engagement back with the supporters.
“That’s what is so good here in Leinster. You go down to the RDS. More often than not it’s a full house.”
The former Scarlets and Swansea hooker has made similar points before, which didn’t go down well with some online, with more than a few pointing out that Ireland has a bigger population than Wales and funding levels are greater with all the implications for success and how that affects support.
And despite its quality in terms of on-pitch standards, the United Rugby Championship isn’t a hit with every supporter in Wales. A lack of travelling supporters is a downside, while online sentiment appears to indicate many would prefer the Welsh professional sides to be part of an Anglo-Welsh league.
There is also the point that while the Welsh game in its pre-2003 guise did attract much support for derbies — they really did climb 12-ft high gates and perch on houses to watch a clash between Swansea and Llanelli in 1992 — attendances were often uneven generally, with a mere 932 watchers reported to be at one match between two leading sides as the game crept towards its restructuring under David Moffett. You can read what Moffett has since had to say in the system he introduced here.
With the lights not working at one point that evening, one observer described the occasion as end of days.
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