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Merthyr RFC set to become new force in Welsh Rugby

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Post by GavinDragon Tue Jun 02, 2015 4:58 pm

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/merthyr-rfc-set-become-new-9377183

Thoughts?

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Post by HammerofThunor Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:02 pm

Good luck to them. Always good to see investment in a club, hopefully it's for the long term.

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Post by LordDowlais Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:15 pm

We always knew there would be investment into Merthyr RFC, the town itself is getting loads of money thrown at it, I have always said that if the valleys had a regional side then Merthyr should be the place for it, because it is the biggest town in the valleys. I did not see Peters richer brother throwing money at it though, perhaps they have been speaking to each other and have come up with this brainstorm as they are fed up with Ponty. Almost a divide and conquer tactic.

This is just another feather in the cap for my town, far too long have the valleys been neglected, by both the British government and by the people who never venture this far north, Merthyr would be a strong partner for Cardiff Blues as there are numerous clubs in and around Merthyr who could benefit from this, I just did not see Stan Thomas getting involved, I cannot remember the last time he was actually in Merthyr.


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Post by GavinDragon Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:19 pm

I think it is great news for Merthyr, club, regional and welsh rugby LD! Would love to see a blues game up there!

Dissapointing that this positive news comes out at the same time as Dr Roberts comments re club rugby

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Post by Chunky Norwich Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:22 pm

Good luck to them.

I thought Wrexham was bigger than Merthyr though?

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Post by Guest Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:35 pm

Great stuff. Nice to see a club show some ambition, especially concerning facilities.

Also, Sir Stanley is spot on with regards to Pontypridd.

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Post by LondonTiger Tue Jun 02, 2015 5:56 pm

Chunky Norwich wrote:Good luck to them.

I thought Wrexham was bigger than Merthyr though?

Except Wresham is not a Valleys town

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Post by bedfordwelsh Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:02 pm

it is great news and if they can forge strong links with their Region then fair play to them but LD, it wouldn't be ideally placed for the Ebbw Valley.

The distance mileage wise is small but no direct public transport links so not great for that part of the Valleys.
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Post by Coleman Tue Jun 02, 2015 9:48 pm

Good news for Merthyr and the surrounding area. Really hope it works out for the club and the town. I'd be up for going to games up there.

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Post by Cardiff Dave Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:18 pm

Welsh rugby eh? Never stops giving;

"Thomas believes Merthyr can provide an alternative to Pontypridd as a valleys feeder club for Cardiff Blues. He feels the Blues were unfairly criticised by Ponty over proposals to enter regional A teams in the British & Irish Cup next season.

“We need a valleys outlet,” said the hugely successful businessman who began his playing career with Merthyr before joining Cardiff.

“I am hoping if we get competitive and are able to play against Ponty, their attitude to regional rugby may change.

“Cardiff Blues give them a number of players and then you get all this disrespect in the papers.

“Peter Thomas and Cardiff Blues do not tell the WRU how to use players in competitions. That’s not my brother and the Blues saying it, it’s what the WRU want, so why should people in Pontypridd criticise the Blues? Why are they so against Cardiff?

“We can’t do anything to change that, but what we can do is offer a valleys alternative to Ponty in the Premiership.”

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Post by Chunky Norwich Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:19 pm

LondonTiger wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:Good luck to them.

I thought Wrexham was bigger than Merthyr though?

Except Wresham is not a Valleys town

The article says Merthyr is the biggest town in Wales. That's why I pointed that out.

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Post by Cardiff Dave Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:48 pm

Chunky Norwich wrote:
LondonTiger wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:Good luck to them.

I thought Wrexham was bigger than Merthyr though?

Except Wresham is not a Valleys town

The article says Merthyr is the biggest town in Wales. That's why I pointed that out.

Getting bigger by the day apparently.

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Post by Coleman Wed Jun 03, 2015 9:06 am

I read on another forum last night that Matthew and Richie Rees are going to Merthyr and also that they're planning to get some of the top players in the Prem. A lot of bad feeling towards this as it is sern as a Thomas Brothers assault on Ponty and Valleys rugby.

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Post by Guest Wed Jun 03, 2015 9:38 am

Coleman wrote:I read on another forum last night that Matthew and Richie Rees are going to Merthyr and also that they're planning to get some of the top players in the Prem. A lot of bad feeling towards this as it is sern as a Thomas Brothers assault on Ponty and Valleys rugby.


Really? Richie Rees was reported to have signed a coaching contract with the Dragons (academy I think).

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Post by Coleman Wed Jun 03, 2015 9:45 am

That's what it said. Also Andy Powell is signing for 50k a year according to the Ponty forum. It's a real shame that this situation had to get so political and partisan. The positive is that Merthyr are getting some development and good for them and the area. Ideally we've always needed a strong team that far up in the region. But now the positive story of a club from an that has needed investment for decades has turned in to another one about the inability of the Blues & Ponty to get along.

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Post by Chunky Norwich Wed Jun 03, 2015 9:50 am

Coleman wrote:. A lot of bad feeling towards this as it is sern as a Thomas Brothers assault on Ponty and Valleys rugby.

Alot of bad feeling? Or 15 people from Ponty moaning?

Ponty have no cause for complaint. They bit off the hand that fed them.

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Post by LordDowlais Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:01 am

Chunky Norwich wrote:They bit off the hand that fed them.

Please explain.

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Post by Chunky Norwich Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:04 am

LordDowlais wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:They bit off the hand that fed them.

Please explain.

Ungratefulness for the countless Cardiff players sent their way. The endless snipes in the public towards the regions.

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Post by LordDowlais Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:09 am

Chunky Norwich wrote:Ungratefulness for the countless Cardiff players sent their way

Chunky, you do realise were over half the Cardiff squad have come from originally don't you ?

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Post by Chunky Norwich Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:19 am

LordDowlais wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:Ungratefulness for the countless Cardiff players sent their way

Chunky, you do realise were over half the Cardiff squad have come from originally don't you ?

Oh right, I was udner the impression that they were on Cardiff's payroll.

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Post by Coleman Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:23 am

Could we not do this here. Again. That horse has been flogged and at this point peoples views are set on that topic.

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Post by Shifty Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:34 am

It's a wonderful article and all the best of luck to them.
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Post by bedfordwelsh Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:44 am

Griff wrote:
Coleman wrote:I read on another forum last night that Matthew and Richie Rees are going to Merthyr and also that they're planning to get some of the top players in the Prem. A lot of bad feeling towards this as it is sern as a Thomas Brothers assault on Ponty and Valleys rugby.


Really?  Richie Rees was reported to have signed a coaching contract with the Dragons (academy I think).

That's what I thought to Griff
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Post by Coleman Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:03 am

bedfordwelsh wrote:
Griff wrote:
Coleman wrote:I read on another forum last night that Matthew and Richie Rees are going to Merthyr and also that they're planning to get some of the top players in the Prem. A lot of bad feeling towards this as it is sern as a Thomas Brothers assault on Ponty and Valleys rugby.


Really?  Richie Rees was reported to have signed a coaching contract with the Dragons (academy I think).

That's what I thought to Griff

Does that stop him from playing? Is it a player coach role?

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Post by GavinDragon Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:06 pm

Another excellent rugby facility that can also double up as a commercial venue is only good for Welsh rugby.

I honestly think this could be the biggest step the Blues have made to embrace the region since offering Ponty to host LV games at Sardis.

It will no doubt annoy many Ponty fans, and that is fair enough, but the only thing that will satisfy Ponty fans is either

1. a complete re-brand of the blues region, dropping cardiff from the name and games shared between CAP and Sardis
2. the backing of a pro "valleys" region
3. the ability of a pro Ponty club side to compete at the top table


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Post by GavinDragon Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:28 pm

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/merthyr-rfc-cardiff-blues-winners-9381852

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Post by ScarletSpiderman Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:31 pm

GavinDragon wrote:Another excellent rugby facility that can also double up as a commercial venue is only good for Welsh rugby.

I honestly think this could be the biggest step the Blues have made to embrace the region since offering Ponty to host LV games at Sardis.

It will no doubt annoy many Ponty fans, and that is fair enough, but the only thing that will satisfy Ponty fans is either

1. a complete re-brand of the blues region, dropping cardiff from the name and games shared between CAP and at Sardis
2. the backing of a pro "valleys" region
3. the ability of a pro Ponty club side to compete at the top table


Fixed.
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Post by LordDowlais Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:38 pm

I would be chuffed to bits if Cardiff Blues played a few games at the Wern, I would not have to travel 35 miles to watch them lose then. Laugh

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Post by Steffan Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:40 pm

I got nothing against Merthyr RFC but I seem to be reading a lot of "The Cardiff & Merthyr Blues are going to own the monopoly on the Valley's and Ponty will be a pile of ashes which those filthy scum deserve' Laugh

So I tell you what...to those people I say...come back and rub it in my face when all this actually happens Very Happy

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Post by GavinDragon Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:43 pm

LordDowlais wrote:I would be chuffed to bits if Cardiff Blues played a few games at the Wern, I would not have to travel 35 miles to watch them lose then. Laugh

I do think you are at the very least 5 years from that LD. But perhaps A games and/or BIC games could be the start. If it is well enough supported up there who knows?

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Post by GavinDragon Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:45 pm

Steffan wrote:I got nothing against Merthyr RFC but I seem to be reading a lot of "The Cardiff & Merthyr Blues are going to own the monopoly on the Valley's and Ponty will be a pile of ashes which those filthy scum deserve' Laugh

So I tell you what...to those people I say...come back and rub it in my face when all this actually happens Very Happy

Granted I do not visit the Gwald forum but I dont think it is that bad.

I just think people have had enough of certain spokespeople (either legitimate or otherwise) constantly berating the blues and the Welsh rugby for them no longer having a pro side.

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Post by LordDowlais Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:47 pm

Do you know what, I reckon Merthyr could be a region all on our own, we have a few clubs in the town alone (about seven I think) that could supply players, I can see it now, a region, right on my doorstep, oh the thought of it, it would be like winning the lottery.

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Post by Coleman Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:00 pm

It could also be the base of the Blues North U16 & U18 teams which would be a feather in the cap for any club in the region.

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Post by GavinDragon Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:13 pm

First Ystrad Mynach/Penalta now Merthyr both getting all weather 4g pitches and facilities.

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Post by The Saint Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:09 pm

LordDowlais wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:Ungratefulness for the countless Cardiff players sent their way

Chunky, you do realise were over half the Cardiff squad have come from originally don't you ?

It wasn't Ponty. That was discussed weeks ago.



But anyway, yeah, this is a great idea. I would like to see it happen to more clubs in North and South Wales though, especially North.

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Post by munkian Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:10 pm

GavinDragon wrote:
Steffan wrote:I got nothing against Merthyr RFC but I seem to be reading a lot of "The Cardiff & Merthyr Blues are going to own the monopoly on the Valley's and Ponty will be a pile of ashes which those filthy scum deserve' Laugh

So I tell you what...to those people I say...come back and rub it in my face when all this actually happens Very Happy

Granted I do not visit the Gwald forum but I dont think it is that bad.

I just think people have had enough of certain spokespeople (either legitimate or otherwise) constantly berating the blues and the Welsh rugby for them no longer having a pro side.

I got blocked for disagreeing with him Erm
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Post by offload Wed Jun 03, 2015 4:26 pm

Excuse my ignorance but I'm from the shires (that's monmouthshire) but where is this new hotbed of Welsh rugby? Is it like Ponty, another Cardiff suburb? Wink
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Post by Guest Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:36 pm

offload wrote:Excuse my ignorance but I'm from the shires (that's monmouthshire) but where is this new hotbed of Welsh rugby?  Is it like Ponty, another Cardiff suburb?   Wink

It's Merthyr - a whole different world. Whistle

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Post by Guest Wed Jun 03, 2015 5:52 pm

Interesting that Ponty won't fire any shots at Merthyr, but are more than happy to have snipes at their superiors till they're blue (no pun intended) in the face.

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Post by Cardiff Dave Wed Jun 03, 2015 6:44 pm

Steffan wrote:I got nothing against Merthyr RFC but I seem to be reading a lot of "The Cardiff & Merthyr Blues are going to own the monopoly on the Valley's and Ponty will be a pile of ashes which those filthy scum deserve' Laugh

So I tell you what...to those people I say...come back and rub it in my face when all this actually happens Very Happy

It won't happen though. The quote, from a single poster by the sound of it, is a wind up obviously.

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Post by The Saint Wed Jun 03, 2015 7:50 pm

Risca Rev wrote:Interesting that Ponty won't fire any shots at Merthyr, but are more than happy to have snipes at their superiors till they're blue (no pun intended) in the face.

Sure Wink.

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Post by Cardiff Dave Wed Jun 03, 2015 9:16 pm

Risca Rev wrote:Interesting that Ponty won't fire any shots at Merthyr, but are more than happy to have snipes at their superiors till they're blue (no pun intended) in the face.

My guess is, that what winds up Ponty fans the most is being told to "support their region" when they know that "their region" is simply standalone Cardiff RFC. I really don't see the purpose of the Blues tag. Made no sense to me back in 2003 and still doesn't.
Let's be honest again. The facts are that Cardiff RFC can just about afford pro rugby. Ponty RFC cannot.

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Post by dragon4life Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:50 am

Andy Powell signed up

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Post by LordDowlais Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:48 am

The Saint wrote:
LordDowlais wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:Ungratefulness for the countless Cardiff players sent their way

Chunky, you do realise were over half the Cardiff squad have come from originally don't you ?

It wasn't Ponty. That was discussed weeks ago.



But anyway, yeah, this is a great idea. I would like to see it happen to more clubs in North and South Wales though, especially North.

Saint, from the first team squad alone the following players have come from Pontypridd:-

Chris Dicomidis
Jarrod Evans
Sam Hobbs
Owen Jenkins
Lewis Jones
Lou Reed
Aled Summerhill
Adam Thomas
Geraint Walsh
Rhys Williams
Matthew Rees
Gethin Jenkins
Garin Smith
Dillon Lewis

That is not including players that have actually come from Pontypridd but had to totally bi-pass Pontypridd RFC to play pro rugby, and the swathes of players from Pontypridd in the Blues academy. So I would say that Pontypridd DO give a lot of players to the Cardiff Blues. OK

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Post by Chunky Norwich Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:04 am

LordDowlais wrote:

That is not including players that have actually come from Pontypridd but had to totally bi-pass Pontypridd RFC to play pro rugby, and the swathes of players from Pontypridd in the Blues academy. So I would say that Pontypridd DO give a lot of players to the Cardiff Blues. OK

Cardiff are clearly thankful for this. They give the players development contracts and nurture them through their careers with the intent on turning them into full time pros, and offer to play games at Sardis Rd.

Pontypridd on the other hand do not seem in the slightest bit thankful for the players they get for which they do not have to pay for.

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Post by Chunky Norwich Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:07 am

Pontypridd's most recent programme note:

Every time the camera pans around the half-empty stands at the tragic Parc y Scarlets it skips, half-apologetically, over the sign proclaiming it as Heart and Soul Country. Once upon a time, maybe. Not anymore, butt.

The heart of Welsh rugby is still broken. And the bodies of Welsh rugby supporters do not turn up, unless that is in the ironically named Judgement Day they come along for the Double-header Fire Sale, piled high and cheap for a tenner. That's a surprise then. Not. What it is, though, is typical of the other missing ingredient in the Welsh rugby hierarchy today: Mind.

By which I mean the intelligence, and yes the honesty, to see that by any standards - attendances, achievements, affection - Regional Rugby has been a disaster. So much so that the poor old Black and Ambers give themselves, as Newport and Gwent Dragons, more names than a poseur in Downton Abbey, and still remain an echo of what they once truly were, whilst the Blue and Blacks have had to skulk back to their old lair, don antique stripes, run out to the (understandable) cry of  'Kairr-diff! Kairr-diff!' from their bewildered supporters, and can only sigh for the lost glory. I don't want to be-labour this any further other than by remarking that the concept of Llanelli's 'Region' extending to North Wales had all the reality of a Soviet statistician inflating steel production figures in outer Siberia, or that if the Ospreys are indeed a bird that occasionally flies it is precisely because they found a new club identity, not a joking regional one. Let's just say that if we want to put the heart back into our game we need to respect the Body and rediscover the Soul.

How do we do that? Well, I was struck the other day when I was making a documentary film for BBC Wales in their recent Valleys series, how wish-fulfilment is never the father or mother of the thought. We need, I argued in the film, to start with where we are now and what we own as our legacy. So far as the maligned Valleys are concerned they are, at almost a million people resident, three times the population of greater Cardiff. And so, unlike most other European City-Regions where that ratio (think Dublin, or even Manchester or Barcelona) is reversed, our Capital-Region is dependent on the Valleys for its bodies.

All attempts to suck those bodies permanently out of the Valleys to live rather than just work south of the M4 have failed. Do not think this has not caused resentment amongst estate agents, city planners, academics, and some employers. They need us, and for some incomprehensible (to them) reason, we don’t play the game according to the rules they like to set. My architect opponent in the film had a solution - the 'tough love' that would impel some 300,000 people to move, turn the upper valleys into a National Park and create bijou market towns, here and there, after bulldozing the terraced housing that is as much our characteristic landscape as mountains and rivers.

My key point, amongst many, was that we should instead make the unique proximity of our urban density not the problem perceived by the unimaginative but  the solution predicated by our history, our culture, and yes, our soul. People live through Time as well as in Space. That’s what we mean by a Culture.

Let's be clear, then, when we say 'We will Never be a Blue', that it is not an indictment of those of our players who, perforce, were, are and probably will be such. It is not nostalgia either for a Welsh rugby world that has gone as surely as our Valleys have themselves changed. It is not, too, some kind of denial of financial necessities in the game (countered in France by public subsidies as well as private owners). What it is, is a clear-headed and intelligent defiance of the sloppy wishful-thinking, imported by an asset-stripping Wizard of  Oz, which did not understand that the only feasible 'Regions' in our rugby heartland were East and West (if needs drive) and that club rugby, where the bodies once gathered as crowds, was once the authentic heartbeat of our game. It remains its Soul.

And that is why, when the Welsh XV triumph the broadcasters still chirrup, 'They'll be singing in the Valleys tonight!' Not, you'll note, in the Vale, or the City. Sometimes, as in this contemporary Wales, there is no desirable Whole without the crucial Part. Body and Soul. So, over to you Gareth, butt. In your heart you know it makes sense, and so do all those bodies stubbornly, proudly, still here, north of the M4, nursing the soul of Welsh rugby, and waiting for the real Judgement Day to come. If you want true rugby greatness, sooner rather than later, Mind will need to come into play again, propped up by Body and Soul and hooking the ball back so that we can all run forward together.  

Professor Dai Smith

Article commissioned for the Pontypridd RFC matchday magazine

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Post by LordDowlais Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:08 am

Chunky Norwich wrote:
LordDowlais wrote:

That is not including players that have actually come from Pontypridd but had to totally bi-pass Pontypridd RFC to play pro rugby, and the swathes of players from Pontypridd in the Blues academy. So I would say that Pontypridd DO give a lot of players to the Cardiff Blues. OK

Cardiff are clearly thankful for this. They give the players development contracts and nurture them through their careers with the intent on turning them into full time pros, and offer to play games at Sardis Rd.

Pontypridd on the other hand do not seem in the slightest bit thankful for the players they get for which they do not have to pay for.

Hang on, I thought this was supposed to be a two way street, Ponty are doing their bit for regional rugby, how would they survive if they gave the amount of players that they are to Cardiff without having unused one's back ? They would have no players left for themselves.

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Post by Chunky Norwich Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:10 am

LordDowlais wrote:
Chunky Norwich wrote:
LordDowlais wrote:

That is not including players that have actually come from Pontypridd but had to totally bi-pass Pontypridd RFC to play pro rugby, and the swathes of players from Pontypridd in the Blues academy. So I would say that Pontypridd DO give a lot of players to the Cardiff Blues. OK

Cardiff are clearly thankful for this. They give the players development contracts and nurture them through their careers with the intent on turning them into full time pros, and offer to play games at Sardis Rd.

Pontypridd on the other hand do not seem in the slightest bit thankful for the players they get for which they do not have to pay for.

Hang on, I thought this was supposed to be a two way street, Ponty are doing their bit for regional rugby, how would they survive if they gave the amount of players that they are to Cardiff without having unused one's back ? They would have no players left for themselves.

I don't think you've got the jist of the argument. The debate is not to halt the player sharing. The debate is Ponty's continued derision of the Blues and other regions despite the help they get from the regional game. See programme notes above...............Utter unratefulness.

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Post by munkian Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:23 am

Agreed, their supporters and even some of their official stuff on social media is cringe worthy.
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Post by bedfordwelsh Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:26 am

Like it or not Ponty won't be happy unless there in Pro rugby (in whatever guise) being played in Sardis under a Ponty name simple as.
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