BEHIND THE HEADLINES: Money decides rugby’s winners and losers

EARLIER this year, Wales star Leigh Halfpenny became one of the highest paid rugby players in the world with a reported annual salary of around £400,000 at Toulon.

The move was said to reflect how difficult it is for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to keep pace with their French counterparts. Indeed, Halfpenny is one of five Wales internationals currently plying their trade in France.

Regionally, too, the days of foreign superstars like Jerry Collins, David Lyons, Jonah Lomu and Percy Montgomery turning out for the regions in Wales seems a distant memory.

Yet, it has been within the grassroots of Welsh rugby in Gwent that the financial strain of recent years has been particularly felt.

Many clubs in Gwent have had to cope with dwindling attendances and rising costs, but there remains a dedicated following whose routine is not complete without a weekly pilgrimage to their local rugby club.

Terry ‘Tiger’ Simons, 79, of Pontnewynydd, attended his first match at Pontypool Park at the age of 10 and has been Pontypool RFC’s kit man for decades. He said money has had a negative impact on the sport.

He said: “I still enjoy it as much as I used to, but money has finished club rugby and I thought the professional era would finish it completely. But, for me, we’ve still got the best supporters of any club in Wales and at our last away trip to Swansea, we outnumbered them 4/1.

“I’d estimate we get around 500 people for home games and the older crowd is still there. The youngsters we see are coming with their families. You can tell that television has made a big difference and there are not many individuals coming anymore.”

Ben Jeffreys, 26, is the commercial director of Pontypool RFC and he said that community rugby relies heavily on the pride of individuals like Mr Simons.

He said: “With my family, we’re not expecting any commercial benefit when we invest in the club but there is nowhere else I’d rather be on a Saturday than Pontypool Park.

“However, the club game needs to be marketed as a single entity, because the structures have never been in place and the regions have never been defined either. It means that both clubs and regions in Wales are struggling to connect with crowds and the clubs have been left to rot.

“The WRU will point to attendances for internationals, but a lot of people who attend international games are not interested in the club game. Now Gareth Davies has come in as chairman and there’s a sense of optimism that I have not seen before.”

A spokesman for the WRU said grassroots rugby is a priority for the union and in the last financial year, the WRU reinvested a record £7m into community rugby across Wales.

He said: “The grant funding from season 2014/15 is going up by some 13 per cent and will stand at an annual figure of £2.6m paid directly into our member clubs from now on each year. In the past year the WRU has also announced a facilities grant of £500,000 and a Participation Points Scheme of £750,000 to reward clubs with equipment for the game.

“The WRU Head of Rugby, Josh Lewsey, has recently launched a new strategy which introduces rugby officers to more than 40 schools around Wales. These individuals are tasked with encouraging pupils to enjoy rugby and then helping them identify local rugby clubs they can join.”

Gareth Davies’ appointment as WRU chairman has enthused Chris Clarke, 59, WRU Premiership chairman and honorary secretary of Cross Keys RFC. Mr Clarke believes there could be a bright future ahead for club rugby.

He said: “The game is changing and evolving, and when you look at how far Welsh rugby has come in the past 30 years, it’s staggering. It’s great to see a drive to bring more rugby into schools and even though it’s in its early stages, you can tell that more youngsters will be eventually moving into clubs.

“The WRU has taken the clubs’ mandate and its taken what we have said on board. I believe the winds of change are blowing and the club game could really benefit.”

However Ronny Kynes, 28, an openside flanker at Ebbw Vale RFC, said it is very difficult for clubs in Gwent to thrive in the current framework.

He said: “When the money goes at a club, the players go and we’re losing the local feel of things elsewhere as a result. There’s a lot of commitment involved – we train on Mondays and Thursday, with a game on Saturday – and the clubs who have sponsors are the clubs who are thriving.

“There’s about 10-15 sides in a six-mile radius in Gwent and some of them are struggling to even put out two teams every weekend.

“Local teams are struggling for money, but you cannot blame players for moving clubs if they are going to be paid more.

“You’re only one game away from an injury or your career ending. We just want to play with our buddies at the end of the day.”

Mr Kynes has been playing with Ebbw Vale for four years, having moved from New Tredegar in 2010. He said that the club has been fortunate in having a regular following at Eugene Cross Park.

He added: “I was once told I was too small to play rugby and it’s amazing to play in front of 900 or so people at a Premiership level. I just pinch myself, really. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up with that atmosphere.”

Among the many zealous fans of club rugby across Gwent is Michael Frost, 25, who went to his first Newport RFC game at just two years of age. Mr Frost said that the club has become dependent on Newport Gwent Dragons since regionalisation in 2003.

He said: “The political side of things has seen a real movement to the Dragons, but there are some people still going at Newport RFC and we have an average attendance of around 1,000 people.

“They’re part of the furniture now and the average age of supporters has increased.

“We need to entice younger people to keep the values of the club alive, because you really do feel part of a group at Newport RFC. If I met someone who was new in the area, I’d tell them to go to a game because I wouldn’t want to be part of any other club.”

As well as fans having a close affinity with their respective clubs, many players and managers across Gwent have a long association with certain clubs.

Mark Prangell, 54, has lived in Crosskeys all of his life and as well as playing for Cross Keys RFC for 11 years, Mr Prangell has been involved in a team management capacity since 2007. He said that the club has always been his spiritual home.

He added: “When I went to Risca at the age of 29, I realised how good I had it at Cross Keys.

“I played golf when I finished, but I soon got into coaching and went back to coach Cross Keys’ youth team. We don’t have the biggest budget, but we’ve done so well and get around 1,500 fans for every game.”

Having been involved in rugby for so many years, Mr Prangell feels the game has changed for the better at Cross Keys RFC.

He said: “It’s very different to when I played. Our warm-up used to be done a couple of minutes before kick-off and you’d just pick up your shirt. Now, in the semi-professional era, you have two hours of preparation with team talks and the like.

“The social life was better before but we have a better balance now, while still having a club social every now and then.

“There are some old values that I miss, but we have to move on and players are much more conditioned now.”