Ex-Wales rugby trio pick out three glaring issues with demands made of WRU

Former Wales rugby internationals Alex Cuthbert, Scott Baldwin and Jonathan Davies have pinpointed three crucial issues in Welsh rugby and outlined potential solutions to address them. The sport in Wales finds itself in uncertainty, with the fate of the four professional teams remaining undecided.

The Welsh Rugby Union's official consultation period draws to a close this week, coinciding with the start of the United Rugby Championship season, which may prove to be the last campaign featuring four Welsh sides. A verdict is anticipated from the Union next month, with the proposal generating extensive debate amongst former players in recent weeks. The latest to contribute to the contentious discussion is ex-Wales and Ospreys hooker Scott Baldwin, who recently featured as a guest on BBC Scrum V's The Warm Up programme.

The former Wales international was accompanied by Davies and Cuthbert, with the trio highlighting three specific areas requiring attention - the academy structure, engaging younger audiences, and coaching methods - emphasising enhanced skill development rather than merely physical size.

Baldwin, who currently serves as head coach of Super Rygbi Cymru side Bridgend Ravens, was initially questioned about the proposal as someone working directly within Welsh rugby.

"Do you think there is too much talent to squeeze into two playing groups, or are you in agreement with the proposal," enquired presenter Lauren Jenkins. "For here now, we haven't got the depth [for four teams]," Baldwin explained.

"If we're going to go - we want to be top end - a question that should be asked is - can you name six players in each position who would get in a top four English or Top 14 team? The answer is probably no in most positions.

"So the answer right now is we haven't got the depth chart to go to four. I don't know the answers. I think the proposal for two short-term is good, but then can you go back to three?

"Do you go two playing in one league, one gets less funding, one goes into the Premiership? I don't know, but what I do know is there is a massive talent pool in Wales which we have to start with player development and coach development, and those players have to be coached by people who know what they're doing at a young age."

Wales legend Davies also tackled the proposal, bringing attention to nurturing the academy pathway: "The focus being on the amount of clubs shouldn't be the priority. It's the development and the pathways of the academies and making sure that those foundations are in the right order and in terms of developing the youth.

"Because, essentially, your budgets go up in less teams or the same teams, you're still paying the same group of players. So let's focus on developing a system at the academy level that's worked."

Former Wales star Cuthbert acknowledged that coaching remains an area requiring improvement, with Davies emphasising that coaches must motivate young players to commit fully, outlining his preferred changes to the current methodology.

Davies went on: "After retiring, I look back at my career and what would I have changed to make me a better player? It would have been the focus at an earlier age on your skill development.There was a big focus when we were in the academies about size, strength and speed on a fitness level, but I think a bit more emphasis on the skill acquisition side of it would have made me a better player again."

Cuthbert recognised the battle with rival sports and entertainment as a crucial factor when attempting to secure youth engagement: "I think also you've got to remember at that age, we're fighting other sports, aren't we? Like PlayStation, football.

"It was a good point yesterday, we had a meeting - we need to make these kids feel like they're in an environment that they want to be involved in. They want to stay in rugby as long as they can. So that development is huge, whether it's just players, coaches, that's where the investment long-term needs to be, isn't it?"

Baldwin added: "That's a huge point about players falling off at 18 years old. At the moment we have four regions, four academies, so essentially there's four people deciding whether you're a professional rugby player at 18 years old.

"There's a massive drop-off of that age group between 16 and 20. We have to cast our net and open it up to allow more players to have the opportunity to develop and understand what professionalism looks like from a strength and conditioning point of view, from a skill point of view, from a professionalism point of view."