Welsh rugby finds itself at somewhat of a crossroads.
Questions have been raised over the sustainability of the boom or bust nature of the game here. One weekend the regions are crashing out of the Champions Cup en masse, the next Cardiff are beating Leinster.
One weekend Wales are getting thrashed by Ireland, the next they’re beating Scotland.
But, in truth, there is a sense that the wins are papering over the cracks.
With that in mind, WalesOnline recently ran a survey about the state of the game here and thousands of you responded, giving us your takes on what needs to happen.
What needs to change?
One of the key questions in our survey revolved around what needed to change in order to help the regions become more successful.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of those taking part in the survey said that the size of the payments from the Welsh Rugby Union to the regions must increase to help them compete financially with Europe’s elite. That answer took 63% of the vote.
A minority said that fixtures must take place outside of Test windows while others said the league our regions play in must change.
It’s very easy to say that the regions should get more money but the question then moves to where that money is coming from.
Which leads us onto our next question, which is ‘What should the WRU do with the £51 million CVC Six Nations money?’
What should WRU do with CVC investment?
This refers to the investment that the WRU received when CVC bought a share in the Six Nations. This does not all come in one go and instead comes in stages and will run out eventually.
The WRU are opting to invest in capital projects like a ‘roof walk’ that is being mooted at the Principality Stadium.
However, just two percent of those who took part in our survey were happy with the money being used in this way.
There is an argument that the Union are a rugby business and should therefore be investing in its core product – professional rugby. And 59% of voters said the money should be distributed to the national and regional sides. There were 33% who felt the money should go to the community game and 5% said it should be invested in playing facilities.
Scrap the cap
In 2017, the WRU introduced the 60-cap rule which was loosely based on the model used in Australia. In essence, if you had fewer than 60 caps for Wales, you had to be playing your domestic rugby at one of the four regions to be eligible for selection.
If you have more than 60 caps, you can play wherever you like and still be selected.
The one caveat being that if you are an uncapped player outside of Wales, you can be called up to the squad but after making your Test debut, the next contract you sign must be in Wales.
It's controversial. Rhys Webb was ineligible for the 2019 Rugby World Cup because of it and the rule has been slammed by Jamie Roberts.
Over half - 54% - of our voters agreed with Roberts and think it should be scrapped entirely, while 28% said to lower the threshold.
The rule was brought in to benefit the regions in the first instance and then, as a consequence, the national side. Welsh rugby could not compete financially with English and French clubs, so the rule was brought in as a way of plugging the player drain.
It has also led to the likes of Josh Adams, Ross Moriarty, Tomas Francis, Will Rowlands, Jonah Holmes and Rhys Webb all joining - or re-joining in some cases - Welsh sides.
But just 17% of our voters wanted it to stay.
Where should our teams play?
On the subject of where our professional teams should play, three-quarters of those who cast votes said that they would rather an Anglo-Welsh league, with just 25% saying they are happy with the United Rugby Championship.
This is a debate that is seemingly as old as time. There are some that feel the WRU’s greatest mistake is not joining the English when they had the chance many years ago.
Despite how many fans may want it now, it seems deeply unlikely to happen any time soon.
Split the amateur and professional games
Another change fans who voted in our survey want to see is the separation of the administration of the amateur and professional game.
At present, the over 300 amateur clubs in Wales have sway over the decisions that directly impact the professional game in Wales, much to the frustration of those at the top of the regions.
In total, 69% of the voters said the game needs to split.
The North Wales question
Another long-running debate in Welsh rugby is whether or not there should be a region based in North Wales.
At present, of course, all four of the pro sides are situated on the M4 corridor. In principle, a region based in North Wales sounds like a fair idea but in practice it is not straightforward.
There are legitimate questions over the viability of setting up a professional outfit in the north, both in terms of the cost associated with setting it up and whether it would be successful enough to keep itself alive.
In a narrow vote, 55% said there should be a team based in North Wales.
Keep the number
However, voters also opted to keep the number of professional teams at four. A majority of 38% opted for this, meaning if they want a region in North Wales, then one of the existing four would have to cease to exist.
As many as 28% thought the number of teams should rise to five. However, from a financial perspective, the four teams we currently have constant financial struggles, so adding another team to the mix is not really viable.
There were 23% who said the number of teams should drop to three and a minority of 11% who said the number should be two.
What do we call them?
Though there was a majority on how many teams to keep, those who took part were undecided over what the entities should be called.
Since 2003, the teams have been referred to as regions but things are beginning to change with the likes of Cardiff moving back towards their roots as a club.
There is a sense this gives them a truer identity and is more marketable. They do, however, still have obligations to the game outside of Cardiff, so they have to brand themselves a 'club with regional responsibilities'.
The Ospreys have begun calling themselves a franchise recently and the Dragons remain a region. The Scarlets would also prefer to be known as a club.
But, in truth, there needs to be a decision made across the board. It helps nobody if we're calling our organisations by different names and it does nothing to attract new fans.
And our voters were split. A dead heat of 40% said regions, 40% said clubs and 20% said franchises, so we can at least rule that one out.
How to achieve regular attendance
We asked fans if they regularly attended regional rugby matches in Wales and 65% of our voters said no.
So our next question was 'What would make you attend more games?'
The responses to this were pretty divided. A 30% majority said they would go more often if the best players were on show every week.
Unfortunately, Wales' best players miss URC matches due to clashes with international camps and matches. The league did attempt to address this with it's schedule for the 2021/22 season. They didn't completely achieve it and matters have been made worse by Covid-enforced postponements, which is obviously out of their control.
26% Said they would attend regularly if our teams were successful which, in truth, is attached in many ways to the point above.
Playing different opposition was the option chosen by 15% and the same number said they were a lost cause and nothing would encourage them to go.
While 14% called for a better matchday experience.
