Cast your eye around the UK and you'd struggle to find a more knowledgeable rugby coach than former Wales playmaker Paul Turner.
The 63-year-old is one of the game's unsung heroes having coached at a number of clubs including Sale, Saracens, Gloucester, Harlequins, the Dragons, and Wasps.
It is for his work at the Dragons Turner is best remembered in Wales where he turned a severely under-resourced side into a competitive outfit, a far cry from the also-rans they have become.
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These days he is head coach of English second-tier club Ampthill, another side who are under-resourced in comparison to wealthier rivals such as Ealing Trailfinders.
Over the past year there has been a huge focus on the perilous financial position the game in Wales finds itself in, but English rugby's situation is arguably more serious.
Action has been taken in Wales to prevent one of its professional sides suffering the same fate as Wasps or Worcester Warriors over the bridge, with London Irish also in danger of going to the wall.
Turner has never been shy of an opinion, and is certainly not one to moan without offering a solution.
"If you put yourselves in PRL and the RFU's shoes they've lost two major clubs in Wasps and Worcester while it's not out of the realms of possibility they could lose a third if London Irish go," he told WalesOnline.
"They are going to have to rethink everything.
"They've turned down an Anglo-Welsh league in the past but I think it could be the way to go this time.
"When I was playing the Anglo-Welsh fixtures were hugely popular, and drew massive crowds.
"Go back to the mid 1980s and Newbridge put 60 points on Exeter, but look where they are now.
"I think a two-tier Anglo-Welsh league would be the answer for Wales, and could help England as well given the current climate.
"It would bring back promotion and relegation.
"I actually think the United Rugby Championship is a very good league, and the quality has improved significantly with the introduction of the South African sides, but I think from a business point of view an Anglo-Welsh league would be a better outcome for Wales.
"England is a better eco-system for Wales to operate in.
"They'd stand a better chance of attracting more investment, there'd be more travelling fans at games, and more importantly there'd be a salary cap.
"I think it would be good for rugby in England and Wales if the WRU and RFU finally got together."
The work Turner has done at Ampthill has been remarkable given their financial limitations in comparison to a host of other clubs in the Championship such as Ealing Trailfinders or Jersey.
Since joining in 2012 after leaving the Dragons he has masterminded three promotions, with the Bedfordshire club now firmly established in the second tier of English club rugby.
Turner loves the day-to-day challenge of improving players, and believes Ampthill have proven successful at this with the club playing a role in the development of the likes of Sam Costelow and Joe Roberts who both spent time on loan at Dillingham Park.
He has also helped develop a host of current England internationals such as Ben Earle, Nick Isiekwe, and Alex Mitchell.
But he worries for the future of the club given the ominous financial situation in England.
"I've loved my time at Ampthill, and it's unbelievable we've made it into the Championship," he said.
"We've had a great journey through the leagues and considering we are a small community club it's amazing how we've established ourselves in the Championships
"For a Welsh reader to understand it's like someone like Builth Wells or Crumlin rising up the leagues into the Welsh Premiership.
"But I always maintain that we can't keep staying as we are because of what's on the horizon.
"There are rumours of two 10-team leagues next season, with regards the Premiership, and Championship.
"We don't get funded enough at the moment because it got slashed after Covid.
"If it does come down to two 10 team leagues then that means we've got a vitally important season ahead of us, probably the most important in the club's history both on and off the field.
"No doubt there will be certain off the field criteria every team will have to meet, and we have to make sure we are up to standard."
Despite spending the majority of his professional coaching career in England, Turner remains a true man of Gwent at heart.
As a player he represented Newbridge, and Newport while he worked miracles as head coach of the Dragons between 2005-2011.
He still takes a keen interest in the Dragons, and is desperate for top-class professional rugby to remain in Gwent, but he has not got faith in the Welsh Rugby Union.
"The Dragons have a good chairman who seems like a decent bloke, and a great leader," he said.
"They've got a proper training ground, and facilities which have improved tenfold. The Rodney Parade pitch is also second to none these days.
"They seem to know in which direction they are going.
"When I was at the Dragons, the support of the board was negligible, and it held the region back despite the best efforts of the coaching staff and the players.
"I do think it's vital that David Buttress gets the Dragons back private because you don't want to be so relient on the union.
"They are still the fourth resourced Welsh team now but things have improved off the field at the Dragons, and they look to have a bright future provided the WRU get their house in order.
"The Dragons board when I was there didn't agree with regional rugby, and all they wanted was for the Newport club to survive.
"There was a majority of Newport board members on the board, and there was never anyone from anywhere else in Gwent.
"Now there is more of a representation of people from around the Gwent region on the Dragons board which always had to happen.
"The game needs proper alignment and investment from the governing body. The WRU need to realise without strong regions you won't have a strong national side.
"The two are interlinked."
For quite some time there has been heated debate behind the scenes as to the future of the Welsh Premiership.
When Welsh rugby went regional in 2003, the then Llanelli Scarlets coach Gareth Jenkins was adamant the Premiership should be Wales' version of the Mitre 10 Cup in New Zealand.
But it's a million miles away from that at the moment, with many in the game confused as to its true purpose; whether it's top of the community game or a vehicle to develop professional players of the future.
One plan which is being discussed is the creation of a so-called "elite" eight team league to sit above the Premiership, and below the URC in a bid to bridge the gap between semi-professional and regional level.
Turner is torn on this suggestion.
"In theory this elite eight-team league I'm reading about could be a good thing to bridge the gap between the semi-professional level and URC but it needs to be properly resourced and invested in," he said.
"There'd be a lot of politics involved which could scupper it as I imagine some of the Premiership clubs who were left out wouldn't be happy.
"We've been developing Welsh players in the Championship which is a higher level, although I do think the top four sides in the Welsh Premiership could compete with Championship clubs.
"The likes of Kieran Hardy, Sam Costelow, Joe Roberts, and Morgan Strong have played in the Championship and it helped develop them.
"Also, Tomi Lewis, who spent some time at Ampthill, got released by the Scarlets and went to Jersey.
"He's improved so much in the Championship, especially from a defensive point of view, and now the Scarlets have signed him back up.
"Ultimately I do think you need to create a better level of rugby for young Welsh players to develop.
"I think if they did create this elite eight-team league, the WRU need to try to get them to play in the (English) Premiership Cup.
"They could have their elite league and then play in this cup. That would really help bridge the gap."
In his day Turner was a rugby genius, a maverick of an outside-half who had people on the edge of their seats, and would surely have won more caps if he didn't play in the same era as Jonathan Davies.
As a result, he is well-qualified to run the rule of Wales' options in the number 10 jersey, and is a big fan of Scarlets playmaker Costelow.
"For the World Cup, Dan Biggar is Wales' best option with Gareth Anscombe on the bench if he is fit," he said.
"But after the World Cup it'll be interesting to see what happens because Biggar and Anscombe might not be around, we'll see.
"Owen Williams is a good player. He's very solid and can control proceedings, while his kicking game is very good but he doesn't have the x-factor he had in his younger days.
"For me Sam Costelow is the long-term successor to Biggar. We had Sam at Ampthill for a bit pre-covid, and he's a great kid with a strong work ethic.
"He's still learning his trade but he's got it all. He can kick, he can control games, he can get a back-line moving, he can break the line, and he tackles hard.
"All these things need to come together but the potential is definitely there.
"What set him apart is his problem solving on the field, when things don't go his way he can put it right.
"Callum Sheedy is another one who we need to see kick on.
"It's hard to put your finger on what's gone wrong with him because 18 months ago he was an established member of the Wales squad, and now he's totally dropped out of contention.
"But at his best he's a quality player and Wales are going to need him to regain his form."
Up until recently Turner was a valued member of the WRU's Exiles programme, and played an integral role in identifying a number of future Wales internationals playing in England.
And he is adamant the Exiles programme is of huge benefit to Welsh rugby.
"The Exiles programme is vitally important," he insists.
"When Wayne Pivac selected the likes of Johnny Williams, Will Rowlands, Nick Tompkins, and Jonah Holmes people treated it as if they'd just appeared out of thin air but in actual fact these had been flagged up to the regions years before.
"Shannon Frizell was another one who got introduced to the regions years ago before he become an All Black name but none of the regions were interested.
"There's a lot of players with Welsh qualifications playing in England, but the Exiles programme needs to be properly resourced.
"Guys like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso at Exeter and Joe Jenkins at Bristol have huge potential, and are players Wales can't afford to lose.
"There are still a lot of players over the bridge who are Welsh qualified."
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