The verdict on Welsh rugby's controversial new competition as WRU resurrect talks with English
Super Rygbi Cymru has been a success in its first season, according to the WRU's John Alder
Ebbw Vale and Newport will compete to be Super Rygbi champions
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd )
The Welsh Rugby Union's head of player development John Alder is confident Super Rygbi Cymru will get stronger over the next few seasons and provide the perfect platform for Wales' future internationals to progress.
Ebbw Vale will host Newport on Sunday in the first ever final of the SRC at Eugene Cross Park. When WRU first mooted the idea of creating a competition above the Welsh Premiership it was initially met with scepticism, with famous clubs like Neath, Pontypridd and Merthyr, left out or choosing not to take part amid criticism of the concept.
But the WRU wanted to bridge the gap between the United Rugby Championship and the semi-professional game with a competition more aligned with the pathway. And Alder is confident the SRC has begun to do that.
"The ambition at the start was to align with our pathway, create a competition which aligns with our pro clubs and give opportunities to up and coming players while also creating an exciting domestic product for players to play in and fans to watch," Alder told WalesOnline.
"We haven't lost any of that historic club based element but we wanted to reset it so that it works more effectively and is integrated with the pro game. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
"We will do a review when the grand final is completed on Sunday but we looked at the Wales U20s cohort going into the Six Nations and of the Wales-based players we have 87% of our U20s feature in the SRC.
Article continues below
"The remaining 13% were playing in Bucs Super Rugby. We also recognise that plays an important part too, albeit a smaller part.
"When we looked at players who were based outside of Wales our Welsh-based age grade players are playing at a higher standard than their counterparts in England.
"Specifically, we looked at the match day 23. We had 75% more starting appearances and an increase of 70% in match minutes compared to 2024 who would have been playing Welsh Premiership.
"For me this is a good sign of progress."
Welsh rugby is going through a tough time at senior international level but there are some green shoots emerging from the pathway.
Wales U20s beat world U20s champions England in the Six Nations while the U18s won every game in the recent U18s Six Nations Festival in France.
The quality of players coming through the pathway is considered to be better than it has been for a number of years and Alder is confident the SRC is the right competition to develop Wales' best young talent.
"We have some tremendous talent coming through our age-grade teams and I'm confident the SRC is the right platform for them to develop," he said.
"Anyone who has watched the league this season would have seen subtle changes in playing style, longer ball in play than previous iterations of the comp. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
"We've had longer cycle lengths which are all moving closer to the pro game.
"Starting with it was the hardest part and now it is a case of working with the coaches, the regional academies to move the dial on style and the standard of play.
"Our goal wasn't to create an age grade league but a mixture of young talent and more senior experienced players. Getting that sweet spot right will always be a challenge.
"If we take Macs Page as an example - I'm aware he's kicked on now - but he was playing centre alongside a former seasoned pro like Adam Warren.
"That's an example of great mentorship. We've seen pockets of that across the league but would we like to see more? Definitely."
The WRU are also working hard to put in place an Anglo-Welsh Cup competition between the SRC clubs and teams in the English Championship.
"That was the strong ambition from the outset looking at the season structure and asking ourselves how do we create a vibrant competition for fans but equally a good challenge for our players," he said.
"I've had really good conversations with the RFU and our championship clubs in the build up to Christmas and were really hopeful it would take off next season.
"But the brakes have been put on that by our friends across the bridge due to their political dynamics.
"It was definitely a hard no for next season. We have since picked back up the conversations.
"Granted there's a lot changing across the bridge but we are continuing to have conversations which are really positive.
"We aren't in a position to get too excited just yet but we are definitely grasping that nettle to try and make that happen."
Article continues below
Alder has also been pleased with the crowds in the SRC while he maintains the viewing figures have been satisfactory. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
The WRU view this inaugural season as the first step in creating a strong competition which can produce more and better players for the professional game.
"Part of that strategy is if we can produce more and better players we can drive standards up to ensure our professional clubs are more competitive," Alder added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
I'm Welsh and did not bother watching the Lions
Call it sour grapes, call it un-British, call it against the spirit of the Lions. Call it whatever you want, frankly. But, as a proud Welshman, I did not bother watching the first Test against Australia on Saturday. Everyone who knows me, and even those who don't, know I'm a massive rugby fan. I haven't missed a Wales game for decades. Not missed a Lions Test since 1997. 'Excited for the Lions?' is the usual chit-chat. The best I can muster is a shrug. I wrote, when the squad was announced, that I'd struggle to cheer for the British and Irish Lions containing only two Welshmen. That struggle has been real. I've not watched a single full game. I caught the second half of the opener against Argentina, and that confirmed my worst fears. I simply don't care. On tours gone by, I haven't missed a single minute. My friends and I would have worked out which pub will be serving beers from 8am to go with our breakfasts long in advance of the first Test. It's usually my favourite rugby moment of the four-year cycle. Better than Wales vs England in the Six Nations, better than the Autumn internationals and better, even, than the World Cup. But with no Welshman in the Test squad for the first time since 1896, the usual buzz has been replaced with, well, empty nothingness. I have no dog in this fight. Some might have argued that Jac Morgan deserved to be starting, or at least on the bench and his omission led to whispers from some of my Welsh comrades that they are now supporting the Wallabies instead. Tom Curry had a poor tour in the build-up to the Test opener and Morgan has been a Welsh rugby success story, which is rarer than unicorn excrement at the moment. We Welsh can't feel robbed at his exclusion, though. Yes, we might feel hard done by that Tomos Williams' dodgy hamstring got him sent him home after he had started the tour so brightly. But we didn't have a Lion involved on Saturday because our national team haven't produced enough good players, neatly highlighted by celebratory tears after beating Japan last weekend. Yes, Japan. Nobody consigns us to our 19th defeat in a row and gets away with it... dear me. So, for the first time in a long time, I did not tuck enthusiastically into a breakfast cider with an all-dayer mapped out ahead of me. Instead, I took the kids to the 11.15am screening of the new CBeebies musical The Great Ice Cream Hun t. It was as dreadful as it sounds and I fell asleep in the reclining chairs. I then got suckered into a £14 boat ride in the pouring rain. An infinitely better morning than watching a game I didn't care about. I'd got my fix of that earlier in the morning with New Zealand vs France. Isobel, three, insisted (rightly, it turns out) on wearing her wellies while Elliott, five, brushed off the fact his arm was recently broken falling from the slide on Nanny's bouncy castle. I didn't even check the result. And at the time of writing, I don't know the score or any of the details. Maybe I never will. Sitting down and watching that game would have been like going to a wedding or a funeral of a stranger. You might empathise with the emotions on display, but you can't possibly feel them deeply yourself because you don't know these people. I feel really sad about not caring, because I know I should. But I can't turn British instead of Welsh for a day if there's nobody there from the motherland. The Lions is no longer 'we' to me, it's 'them', and that is a tragedy.
South Wales Argus
5 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Daniel Dubois vows ‘I'll be back' after second loss to Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk had shown his class against the 27-year-old from London during a one-sided contest in Krakow in 2023, where Dubois was adjudged to have landed an illegal low blow in round five, but the Ukrainian had been warned throughout fight week to expect a 'different' opponent this time. Yet, Usyk (24-0, 15KOs) proved too strong for Dubois (22-3, 21KOs) once again. After the former undisputed cruiserweight champion had got the better of the opening four rounds, he produced a masterful fifth-round finish to further cement his status as one of the sport's all-time greats. After Dubois was put down by a powerful right punch, the British boxer bravely made it back to his feet. He was floored again a matter of seconds later by a huge left hit to taste defeat for a third time in his professional career. It earned Usyk his 24th win and a seventh in a row against fighters from this country to ensure he got his hands back on the IBF title to add to his WBA, WBO and WBC belts as he became undisputed in the blue riband division for a second time. Dubois said: 'I have to commend him on his performance. I gave everything I had, probably a few things I could have sharpened up on, but take no credit away from the man. 'I was just fighting, I was in a fight and trying to pick up round by round. It is what it is, but I'll be back. Oleksandr Usyk celebrates winning the IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO world heavyweight bout against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium (Bradley Collyer/PA) 'I want to thank everyone for coming out. I gave my best, we'll go back to the drawing board and come again.' Usyk later revealed the money shot was not a left hook but a punch titled 'Ivan' by the 38-year-old, who again went up a level in a rematch like he also showed against Dubois' compatriots Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. 'Listen, we prepare for this fight with my team. We learn from first fight, we have a long time, two years, and we prepare a combination. You know the punch name Ivan,' Usyk revealed. 'Left hook? A hook is like this (gesture), that is Ivan. It is Ukrainian name. Ivan is you know a big guy, who lives in a village, he is Kozak, you say, 'what is your name?' And he says, 'my name is Ivan,'. 'Yeah, it is a hard, hard punch, Ivan. It is a long time. Maybe first time is 2018? Yeah, first time. It was USA in cruiserweight. 'Now I want to go back home, now I want to do a choice over what next. I will continue in boxing, I will continue in training, but now I cannot say who next.' This vintage Usyk victory meant he enjoyed more English capital success after he claimed Olympic gold at the London Games in 2012 and four years ago clinched his first world heavyweight belts in a points victory over Anthony Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Daniel Dubois walks out for the IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO world heavyweight bout against Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium (Bradley Collyer/PA) However, quizzed on if he agreed that he was one of the greatest of all-time, Usyk smirked: 'Ha, no. 'For me, UK is like a second home because this I take all my trophy. European (amateur) champion (in Liverpool), London 2012, Tony Bellew, Dereck Chisora, Anthony Joshua, three-time undisputed Dubois, I am very grateful for this country.' Queensberry promoter Frank Warren added: 'We witnessed one of the true modern-day legends tonight in action. 'Oleksandr Usyk for me is a heavyweight in any generation that would be an outstanding fighter. I take my hat off to him in how he coped, how he showed such mental resilience in someone's back yard, he is something special. He is a special fighter.' 'Daniel is obviously very disappointed, he is in the dressing room at the moment but he will come back.'
Powys County Times
5 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Daniel Dubois vows ‘I'll be back' after second loss to Oleksandr Usyk
Daniel Dubois acknowledged his best was not good enough after his undisputed world heavyweight dreams went up in smoke with a fifth-round stoppage loss at Wembley thanks to Oleksandr Usyk's 'Ivan' punch. Usyk had shown his class against the 27-year-old from London during a one-sided contest in Krakow in 2023, where Dubois was adjudged to have landed an illegal low blow in round five, but the Ukrainian had been warned throughout fight week to expect a 'different' opponent this time. Yet, Usyk (24-0, 15KOs) proved too strong for Dubois (22-3, 21KOs) once again. After the former undisputed cruiserweight champion had got the better of the opening four rounds, he produced a masterful fifth-round finish to further cement his status as one of the sport's all-time greats. After Dubois was put down by a powerful right punch, the British boxer bravely made it back to his feet. He was floored again a matter of seconds later by a huge left hit to taste defeat for a third time in his professional career. It earned Usyk his 24th win and a seventh in a row against fighters from this country to ensure he got his hands back on the IBF title to add to his WBA, WBO and WBC belts as he became undisputed in the blue riband division for a second time. Dubois said: 'I have to commend him on his performance. I gave everything I had, probably a few things I could have sharpened up on, but take no credit away from the man. 'I was just fighting, I was in a fight and trying to pick up round by round. It is what it is, but I'll be back. 'I want to thank everyone for coming out. I gave my best, we'll go back to the drawing board and come again.' Usyk later revealed the money shot was not a left hook but a punch titled 'Ivan' by the 38-year-old, who again went up a level in a rematch like he also showed against Dubois' compatriots Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. 'Listen, we prepare for this fight with my team. We learn from first fight, we have a long time, two years, and we prepare a combination. You know the punch name Ivan,' Usyk revealed. 'Left hook? A hook is like this (gesture), that is Ivan. It is Ukrainian name. Ivan is you know a big guy, who lives in a village, he is Kozak, you say, 'what is your name?' And he says, 'my name is Ivan,'. 'Yeah, it is a hard, hard punch, Ivan. It is a long time. Maybe first time is 2018? Yeah, first time. It was USA in cruiserweight. 'Now I want to go back home, now I want to do a choice over what next. I will continue in boxing, I will continue in training, but now I cannot say who next.' This vintage Usyk victory meant he enjoyed more English capital success after he claimed Olympic gold at the London Games in 2012 and four years ago clinched his first world heavyweight belts in a points victory over Anthony Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, quizzed on if he agreed that he was one of the greatest of all-time, Usyk smirked: 'Ha, no. 'For me, UK is like a second home because this I take all my trophy. European (amateur) champion (in Liverpool), London 2012, Tony Bellew, Dereck Chisora, Anthony Joshua, three-time undisputed Dubois, I am very grateful for this country.' Queensberry promoter Frank Warren added: 'We witnessed one of the true modern-day legends tonight in action. 'Oleksandr Usyk for me is a heavyweight in any generation that would be an outstanding fighter. I take my hat off to him in how he coped, how he showed such mental resilience in someone's back yard, he is something special. He is a special fighter.' 'Daniel is obviously very disappointed, he is in the dressing room at the moment but he will come back.'
