A WEEK into the Rodney Parade 'referendum' and the words of the Welsh Rugby Union's chief executive should be causing concern for the Yes campaign.

"I genuinely don't want to try and convince them because I respect their decision and it's their choice," said Martyn Phillips at the press conference called by the governing body to announce their proposed deal for Newport Gwent Dragons and Rodney Parade.

His approach to have a light hand and let democracy runs its course is admirable in some ways.

However, if he genuinely wants the green light to be given by Newport shareholders, the "them" in the second paragraph, then the chief executive's influence is needed.

Seven days have passed since the heads of terms agreement was announced and we are still lacking in detail.

The facts are needed urgently so that those voting can digest them and make their decision accordingly.

Mistrust is allowed to fester in the absence of such information and the longer we go without it, the more entrenched people will become.

In the absence of the commitment of a lease of any duration for either the Dragons or Newport, the element of trust is an interesting part of the whole decision and one that was highlighted by Phillips at Principality Stadium last week.

"The difficult thing is that in a way people are going to have to take us on trust," he said. "You need to trust us that we have gone to these lengths because we are desperately serious about rugby in Gwent.

"It comes down to a choice and we would never want to force people or try to oversell something. We are setting the facts out as we see them, then people make a choice and we all have to live with the consequences."

On Wednesday in Cardiff the WRU boss highlighted that it came down to trust and then on Thursday and Monday there were meetings with Dragons and Newport RFC supporters organised by Rodney Parade chiefs that were not open to the media.

That shows a worrying lack of acknowledgement that openness is a key part of the process; if a political party operated in such a manner how would we react? Hopefully there will be a policy change in the weeks before the EGM.

Anyway, it seems that very little new detail was revealed at the meetings, meaning we don't actually know a great deal about the nitty-gritty of the proposal.

We know that the WRU have pledged to invest in facilities at the ground, that they have a preference for an artificial pitch, that they would hope to use the Dragons to attract Welsh-qualified players across the border from England, that Wales coaches would offer their assistance and expertise.

But we don't really know anything about what is on the table to get to that point.

As the story on today's back page shows, the Monday meeting did at least serve as a timely warning about the need for information.

Now Newport and Dragons chief executive Stuart Davies must fulfil his pledge to provide it, while they should also be urging the WRU to push their case and deliver more of the fine detail.

Nobody is demanding a Miliband ‘Ed Stone’ but there has to be something of a manifesto and some pledges for accountability purposes.

Phillips and the governing body's chairman Gareth Davies can and must play a telling role in the events of the next month.

In my personal dealings with the pair (admittedly I've encountered the latter a lot more from when he was chief executive at Rodney Parade and, as it happens, at the fore of a battle with the Union) they seem to be decent, switched-on sorts who are also open, competent and astute leaders.

That is all essential if the barriers of mistrust courtesy of past regimes are to be removed, or at least lowered.

They need to offer some reassurance and operate with candour in dealings with anxious supporters who are losing patience.

There will always be a few suspicions about central control while it is problematic that trusting Phillips and Davies is to an extent an irrelevance because it is the decisions of their yet-to-be-determined successors that will shape the future of rugby in this neck of the woods.

But the sound of silence is not what is needed from the WRU at this troubling time if shareholders are to make an enlightened choice.

South Wales Argus:

WHEN Josh Lewis expertly pulled the strings in Ebbw Vale's superb win at Pontypridd last October, coach Nigel Davies couldn't suppress his smile on the Sardis Road pitch.

"Josh was superb and was man of the match by a country mile," said former Wales centre Davies after the fly-half had scored a try and kicked 21 points.

"He has come off the back of a couple of years with the Scarlets where he was unfortunate with injury and there's no doubt in my mind that he is a regional level player."

Alas, the 25-year-old from Merthyr won't be getting the chance to show he is a pro in Wales next season but will instead head for Bath.

It didn't take long for the naysayers to lambast the regional quartet for allowing a player to 'slip through the net' but it merely highlights the budgetary constraints they are operating under.

Shaun Knight and Aled Brew have already headed for the Rec this term after featuring in the Newport Gwent Dragons pre-season team photograph.

Their exits were a combination of the desire to give likely fringe players an opportunity elsewhere and the need to balance the books.

While Bath can afford to take a punt on the likes of Lewis – who will be behind international 10s Rhys Priestland and Freddie Burns in the pecking order – the Dragons cannot operate with too many players of potential on the books.

They have proved they are willing to take a risk and reward those thriving in the Premiership by handing a contract to bulldozing Bedwas back row forward Robson Blake but three or four speculative contracts equals one proven full-timer.

That is a calculation that the Dragons, Scarlets, Ospreys and Cardiff Blues have to carefully consider. They cannot be as lavish as those over the border.