7. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Rugby

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:14 pm on 27 March 2019.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 4:14, 27 March 2019

Well, absolutely, and there's something quite chilling within that as well. What has happened to that—and in comparison with football, where they've clearly got it right, as Mike said earlier on? What have we got wrong in our regional rugby set-up that people are not going to watch it there, to stand alongside the pitch, in good stadia with good facilities—but they're not going to watch it, they're not taking their families? So, that is something that the regional clubs now and the WRU need to look at.

Rhun rightly reminded us, with some great history of his own, that rugby is an all-Wales game and that it permeates north Wales, and I think everybody who's been involved in this debate recognises that, actually, one of the areas of great potential now is indeed in north Wales. And not simply in north-west Wales, but north-east Wales as well, right across that whole area. So, I think this opportunity of pause and reflection is how can we do that without actually ripping up the successes elsewhere the region, and build sustainability into the game there and bring forward a whole new raft of star players for our national team as well. But he stressed as well, again, as many have, that grass roots are important. But building on the success of Rygbi Gogledd Cymru, I think we can see the platform there that there is to take things forward.

I can see I've exhausted my time. I simply want to put one other remark to the Minister, understanding that the Welsh Government—it's not their job to step in here and organise this and come up with some master plan, but I think, actually, taking that professional interest and having those discussions about the importance domestically, but also globally of the game of rugby, to brand Wales—.

And my final comment, if I can abuse my position of closing up is: Minister, please, will the Welsh Government take a keen interest in six nations being on free-to-air? There are things that we know the value of, the price of, and then things that we know the cost of. And if you look at the tragic tale of the England cricket board selling the rights to Sky in 2004, at big money that they reinvested in their game, and over 10 years the number of adults players in cricket dropped by 20 per cent when it went behind the paywall. There were 6.6 million people who watched live coverage of the six nations Wales against England match—6,580,000 of those were watching it on tv. So, let's not put it behind a paywall. Let's keep the excitement going on in Welsh rugby and let's give the sustainability to regional rugby that it needs.