Success of Welsh regions 'rewarded' by cutbacks

The new Welsh regions, a mere season old but mature beyond their years in terms of performance, will lose a substantial percentage of their central funding next term as a reward for their efforts over the last nine months. Maybe they should have lost more often. The Welsh Rugby Union, so completely strapped in the cash department that they resemble the great Houdini before one of his more challenging experiments in escapology, clearly see the success of the five flagship teams as evidence of unwarranted generosity.

Leading players like Gareth Thomas, of Celtic Warriors, and Stephen Jones, of Llanelli Scarlets, should not be leaving town right now ­ not with the regional quintet filling five of the first six places in the 12-team, three-nation Celtic League. Yet Jones, who plays at outside-half against Ulster in tonight's title match at Stradey Park despite the facial injury he suffered during last weekend's game with Neath-Swansea Ospreys, will turn out for Montferrand in next season's French championship, where he will encounter the free-scoring Thomas, clad in the colours of Toulouse.

How can this be? Two reasons. The first is purely financial: the major French clubs have no salary cap, no obvious limit on the wages they feel able to offer their chosen targets, and no sense of shame when it comes to bringing their commercial clout to bear on rugby communities with comparatively tiny economies. But the second reason, which has much to do with the Irish attitude towards the Celtic League tournament, could easily be addressed, if only the administrators could summon an ounce of political will.

It is less than a fortnight since Munster, one of the outstanding sides in Europe, fielded what amounted to a second-string team for a game against the Cardiff Blues and went down by 60 points. What a joke. The Cork-Limerick collective may have been feeling low after their Heineken Cup exit at the hands of Wasps; they may even have been carrying some injuries. But their approach to the Blues match mirrored their attitude to this season's competition in general ­ an attitude that has left professional players in Wales frustrated at competitive standards, the paying public feeling fleeced and the tournament struggling for credibility. A football-style fines system would put an end to the nonsense.

At least Ulster have done their bit. They too lost personnel to last autumn's World Cup; they, too, identified the Heineken Cup as their great priority. Yet they played to win throughout the 22-match league programme and now find themselves only a point shy of the Scarlets. Victory of any description tonight should give them the title, although the Newport-Gwent Dragons could conceivably sneak up on the rails with a bonus-point win over Leinster in Dublin.

Mike Ruddock, the Dragons coach, moves on to the Welsh national job after this evening's business, and should his side beat the Scarlets and their Merlin of a tactician, Gareth Jenkins, to the championship, it will be a double-whammy of considerable proportions. Back in March, Ruddock landed the Red Dragon role ahead of his rival, so it is hardly surprising that Jenkins should crave a positive conclusion to this benighted campaign. "At this stage, it is more about attitude and passion than about ability," he said yesterday. "We've let ourselves down in that department this season and we've been hurt by it."

Northampton, who will be coached by Ulster's Alan Solomons next season, have shifted the England wing Ben Cohen to outside centre for Sunday's Premiership semi-final at Wasps. Bruce Reihana, one of the outstanding attacking players in the competition, has recovered from a rib injury and will start at full-back, so Nick Beal, who had been covering for Reihana during the New Zealander's absence, moves to the right wing, with young John Clarke listed in Cohen's regular position.