50 replies to this topic

[The Future is League]

http://www.crusaders...cle.php?id=2548
"there has been a 300% increase in the number of schools teams and Rugby League is now Wales's fastest growing sport"

[dallymessenger]

the current RFL management ie richard lewis is to be congratulated for not only reviving RL in france but also in wales

im sure when CC were doing poorly there were many in the game who said i told you so

lewis maintained the faith and the move to wrexham has been brilliant

also moving the MM back to wales is the right move

im confident about the future of our game in france and wales

[1976PMJwires]

from me.

300% increase well done Wales, i would be interested in how much of that is in N Wales to S Wales.

[tim2]

The amateur scene in Wales at Open Age is poor but does that really matter? Build up from the juniors and the Open Age should take care of itself down the line. The difficulty, as with all non-heartland areas, is facilities. If you use Union grounds, you get good facilities but you're stuck with the short summer window and risk developing players for the RFU or WRU to take away. If you don't - well, it's schools or parks and you also get llimited access to potential RU converts. Tough choice really.

North Wales is interesting - it has less of an ingrained Union heritage than the South and is close enough to Cheshire/North West to be able to tie in with longer seasons etc. As well as having the Crusaders there, obviously. Now Wales is a separate RL nation Cymru RL really has to step up the funding drive from their own sources as Sport England doesn't obviously cover Wales.

[Northern Sol]

the current RFL management ie richard lewis is to be congratulated for not only reviving RL in france but also in wales

im sure when CC were doing poorly there were many in the game who said i told you so

lewis maintained the faith and the move to wrexham has been brilliant

also moving the MM back to wales is the right move

im confident about the future of our game in france and wales

Lewis made a dreadful mistake and was extremely lucky with the Wrexham FC intervention; otherwise his reputation for competence would have been tarnished.

Nothing to do with "keeping the faith" and everything to do with being so desperate as to have to accept any offer to keep Crusaders going.

[Northern Sol]

double post

Edited by Northern Sol, 08 September 2010 - 08:51 PM.

[Northern Sol]

The amateur scene in Wales at Open Age is poor but does that really matter? Build up from the juniors and the Open Age should take care of itself down the line. The difficulty, as with all non-heartland areas, is facilities. If you use Union grounds, you get good facilities but you're stuck with the short summer window and risk developing players for the RFU or WRU to take away. If you don't - well, it's schools or parks and you also get llimited access to potential RU converts. Tough choice really.

North Wales is interesting - it has less of an ingrained Union heritage than the South and is close enough to Cheshire/North West to be able to tie in with longer seasons etc. As well as having the Crusaders there, obviously. Now Wales is a separate RL nation Cymru RL really has to step up the funding drive from their own sources as Sport England doesn't obviously cover Wales.

The thing I don't get is despite an increase in the number of schools playing RL in Wales, we haven't seen Welsh sides get to the Champion Schools finals like they used to. It's very odd.

[Jerry the Berry]

North Wales is interesting - it has less of an ingrained Union heritage than the South and is close enough to Cheshire/North West to be able to tie in with longer seasons etc. As well as having the Crusaders there, obviously. Now Wales is a separate RL nation Cymru RL really has to step up the funding drive from their own sources as Sport England doesn't obviously cover Wales.

Are there any 'big' RU clubs in North Wales? Is there any real appetite for either code of rugby or is it just all football (soccer). Great news on the participation figures though. Well done to all concerned.

[Northern Sol]

Are there any 'big' RU clubs in North Wales?

No.

Is there any real appetite for either code of rugby or is it just all football (soccer).

It's just Wrexham FC and the English clubs of Merseyside and Greater Manchester and Wrexham FC aren't exactly a major club. It is very sparsely populated area.

[cardifcrusaderrob]

The thing I don't get is despite an increase in the number of schools playing RL in Wales, we haven't seen Welsh sides get to the Champion Schools finals like they used to. It's very odd.

True ,I don't get that either. Although I know a few of them like the Evans brothers at Warrington have been snapped up by English sides. Whats most dissappointing is Wales didn't win the Student and A side competitions this year either, the former having been won for the past 8 years. Gutted!

The amateur scene is not as good as it could be but it has produced many of the players that are playing the game for the Scorpions and some of the Crusaders so it is producing some talent, plus Bridgend won the Harry Jepson a few years back and a Welsh side often gets to the semi final in that competition. Plus we had Blackwood get to the 3rd round of the Challenge Cup last year.

[tim2]

Bridgend won the Harry Jepson a few years back and a Welsh side often gets to the semi final in that competition.

That's because the winners of the Welsh Premier go straight into the semi. They haven't made a final for a while.

[dallymessenger]

Lewis made a dreadful mistake and was extremely lucky with the Wrexham FC intervention; otherwise his reputation for competence would have been tarnished.

Nothing to do with "keeping the faith" and everything to do with being so desperate as to have to accept any offer to keep Crusaders going.

looks like accepting the wrexham offer was a good one

he couldve listened to people like you and replaced them with a heartland club and then where would we be.

[The Future is League]

looks like accepting the wrexham offer was a good one

he couldve listened to people like you and replaced them with a heartland club and then where would we be.

Well said Dally.

[RP London]

Lewis made a dreadful mistake and was extremely lucky with the Wrexham FC intervention; otherwise his reputation for competence would have been tarnished.

Nothing to do with "keeping the faith" and everything to do with being so desperate as to have to accept any offer to keep Crusaders going.

actually there was quite a bit going on behind the scenes with the WRL at the time about different possibilities and talking to different people..

Lewis to a certain extent lucky but he also knew the right people were in place in the WRL to make sure that Super League had a presence in Wales.

To be fair Lewis also knew that it was a risk having a Welsh team and all the issues with it..

Personally i get the feeling Lewis couldnt give a toss about his reputation at all. If he did then he wouldnt take the risks that he has taken. Being outspoken about Quins' necessity to exist (or a london franchise), Franchising being needed and putting it into practice, getting Catalans in, Getting the welsh in. All of these were a massive massive risk, all of which could have made him look very very silly. The safest thing to do if he was that worried about his reputation was to do ###### all, pull the rug from under London and settle the game in the M62 corridor. He has taken massive risks that could make him look stupid and quite honestly we need that. these decisions are high risk but if they work (ie Wales gets a huge presence, London at last kicks on, the Championship clubs pull their socks up etc) the game will grow immeasurably and its that which we need.

[dallymessenger]

actually there was quite a bit going on behind the scenes with the WRL at the time about different possibilities and talking to different people..

Lewis to a certain extent lucky but he also knew the right people were in place in the WRL to make sure that Super League had a presence in Wales.

To be fair Lewis also knew that it was a risk having a Welsh team and all the issues with it..

Personally i get the feeling Lewis couldnt give a toss about his reputation at all. If he did then he wouldnt take the risks that he has taken. Being outspoken about Quins' necessity to exist (or a london franchise), Franchising being needed and putting it into practice, getting Catalans in, Getting the welsh in. All of these were a massive massive risk, all of which could have made him look very very silly. The safest thing to do if he was that worried about his reputation was to do ###### all, pull the rug from under London and settle the game in the M62 corridor.

exactly.

hes taken all these risks and when they work out he needs to be praised.

introducing franchising was a massive risk, trying france again after after PSG etc etc.

if lewis can sort out quins / london hell have brought professional RL to places where we all thought wouldnt work

the flow on for international RL will be massive

i just hope david gallop had the same guts and brought in PNG and a 2nd nz side into the nrl

Edited by dallymessenger, 09 September 2010 - 08:40 AM.

[Shadow]

Well said Dally.

And you don't hear that very often

[Dave T]

Lewis made a dreadful mistake and was extremely lucky with the Wrexham FC intervention; otherwise his reputation for competence would have been tarnished.

Nothing to do with "keeping the faith" and everything to do with being so desperate as to have to accept any offer to keep Crusaders going.

Why when there's something negative is it a dreadful mistake, but then when there is a positive it is lucky?

[tim2]

Apart from Catalans, Crusaders, improved attendances, 30 million from Sport England, a profitable RFL, improved TV money, increased grass roots participation, what has Richard Lewis done for us?

[RP London]

Apart from Catalans, Crusaders, improved attendances, 30 million from Sport England, a profitable RFL, improved TV money, increased grass roots participation, what has Richard Lewis done for us?

all were lucky... wonder if he does he lottery

[Northern Sol]

looks like accepting the wrexham offer was a good one

he couldve listened to people like you and replaced them with a heartland club and then where would we be.

Very few people said that (and I certainly wasn't one of them). There wasn't any time to replace them with a heartlands team, only Widnes could possibly have done it and even then it would have been a bad idea.

There was no other course of action aside from having a 13-team league which would have been embarrassing.