THE present structure of Welsh rugby is a recipe for disaster, warns Newport benefactor Tony Brown, who says the number of

top flight teams must be reduced to six if they are to compete in Europe.

Unless drastic action is taken quickly, Welsh rugby will go the same way as Welsh football, claims Brown.

He has been supremely generous to Newport, putting in millions of his own money -- but he also warns that cannot continue.

He puts his cards on the table in the wake of Wales coach Graham Henry's renewed call for changes in the structure, to be

made 'yesterday'.

"There is not enough money to support nine professional clubs in Wales," said Brown. "If we want to keep the best players in

Wales we have got to look at income streams available from television, Europe, merchandising etc.

"From personal experience, I know no matter how good you are at marketing you can't run a professional club to compete with

the best in Europe.

"So do you let it go on with a benefactor supporting the clubs, which makes the structure fragile?

"You have to look at the difficult decision to reduce the number of clubs and make sure they are funded adequately to keep

the best players in Wales, or let it go the way of Welsh soccer, let the players go and call them in from all over for

internationals.

"You have to divide the money coming into rugby between fewer clubs. I am not saying this just to have more money, but to

enable clubs to be in a position to break even. "I wouldn't support a provincial structure because Welsh rugby is very

tribal. There just has to be less clubs because otherwise we're on the road to nowhere.

"We would have to look at six Welsh clubs, three or four Irish and two or three Scottish in a 12-club Celtic League, games

home and away, with relegation and promotion from a play-off, as well as the Heineken Cup.

"And with international matches involved you would need a squad system of real calibre and try to bring on players, which

would not fundamentally weaken the side when you bring a replacement in."

Brown insists that the old order cannot continue and he warns personal involvement cannot continue indefinitely.

"There is great sentimental feeling that what was must continue, but that was under an amateur regime," he said.

"I am not a dictator, but people must face up to the future. Running the under-21s, for example, costs a lot of money.

"It should not be incumbent on one individual that for the rest of my life I fund Newport because there is not the structure

there to support it.

"The world does change and if we can't change with it and we stick with what has been for the last 15 or 20 years, then that

is a recipe for disaster.

"Every decision I ever made at Newport has been with the sole objective of trying to bring them back to the top and that in

the event of my demise or walking under a bus the club would go forward without me.

"Unless we adapt there is not a hope in hell of the club scene progressing and then internationally we will suffer.

"Everyone is trying to see Welsh rugby prosper and it is foolhardy if people assume I'm going to be there for ever and a day

because that can't be." Earlier Henry said: "We've got more professional rugby players in Wales than the whole of the

Southern Hemisphere. We are in dire need of major change in the structure of Welsh rugby.

"The best example is the Irish system with their provincial set-up and all the players are contracted to the union, as well

as coaches, and they play a limited number of games, say 20.

"Welsh rugby needs to move immediately or sooner to get a structure to enhance the game in this country.

"We need to contract the players, it's all an absolute must, and it needs to happen yesterday."