-Credit: (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Former Wales international Mark Ring has suggested how he would fix Welsh rugby, calling for all of the regions to be scrapped and for a ‘thinker’ to replace Warren Gatland as the national team’s head coach.
The ex-Cardiff and Pontypool fly-half has torn into the current state of the game in Wales, with Gatland’s side ending 2024 winless and on a record losing streak of 12 successive Test matches. Ring believes that unless the current coaching set-up is changed, that run of defeats will not end any time soon, with a new coach with fresh ideas now required.
In the regional game, the idea of cutting one or two of Wales’ professional sides has also long been floated, with the likes of Sam Warburton and Jonathan Davies among recent proponents of that idea. But Ring has proposed a far more drastic approach, saying he would “get rid of all the regions,” which he claims “destroyed the club scene” in Wales when they were introduced.
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Instead, the 32-cap international says two teams – East and West – should be set up in a bid to “renew old rivalries” and “revive the club scene”. He added that the WRU should now look to focus a lot more of their investment on school rugby, which “always used to produce fantastic players”.
“I’d get rid of all the regions,” Ring said in an interview with the Rugby Paper. “When the Union brought them in, they destroyed the club scene and you’ve seen what’s happened to so many fantastic clubs as a result. That said, Cardiff are definitely improving. I like what Matt Sherratt is doing.
“Instead of four regions, I’d have two teams: East Wales and West Wales with squads contracted to the Union. I’d revive the club scene, renew the old rivalries and get the fan-base back. And I’d invest heavily in all the schools.
“They always used to produce fantastic players with the natural ability to keep their heads and make time on the ball,” he added. “That doesn’t happen any more because they stopped competitive rugby in the schools.”
With Gatland’s future as Wales head coach now subject to a WRU review into their winless autumn campaign, Ring says it’s time for a change and already has a successor in mind. The former outside-half has called for Wales to make contact with another New Zealander – former Scotland and Fiji coach Vern Cotter – who earlier this year led the Auckland Blues to the Super Rugby Pacific title.
Cotter spent three years at Murrayfield and left the role in 2017 as then their most successful coach of the professional era, having led them to some famous wins. With Welsh rugby at an all-time low, Ring believes someone like him now needs to be instated as he questioned the effectiveness of the current set-up.
“I’d get in touch with Cotter tomorrow,” said Ring. “You have to go for the thinkers. There are coaches out there who are innovative. People like Cotter, like Wayne Smith, like Joe Schmidt and loads more.
“You look at Wales and you have to question the current coaches. Gatland has been playing the same game-plan for god knows how many years. They brought Rob Howley back when Alex King was already there as attack coach.
“Rob is in Gatland’s shoes, it’s all about the gain-line. I’ve never met a scrum-half who struck me as knowing a great deal about the wider aspects of back play.”
If no changes are made before Wales’ first Six Nations fixture against France at the end of January, Ring can’t envision their losing run being broken for much of the tournament, with their Super Saturday clash with England seen as their best chance of victory.
“You wouldn’t fancy them to beat France in Paris,” he said. “Then it’s Rome the following week. Italy played well against the All Blacks and they’ll be targeting the Wales game.
“I can’t see Wales getting anything out of Ireland even with home advantage. Scotland beat Australia 4-1 on tries the week after they put 50 points on us so Murrayfield already looks a tough trip. Our best chance of a win in the Six Nations is in the last game, England in Cardiff.”