maroon is the colour of queensland
not sure why they are called the reds
is the stadium full
. There’s about 8000 people in the Suncorp.
lolzers
This Richie Mo Unga chap has been hopeless here. NZ will have a fly half crisis at RWC 2019 yet.
Another young rugby player dies . This time in NZ
Did they tickle his balls until he died or was it a blow to the head?
Ronan ‘Rodge’ O’Gara moaning about some new rubby tournament, saying it’s all about money 
What a fucking Ham… What does he think the Lions junket is about … or the November friendlies…
A professional player / coach moaning about the RFU making money - what a dullard.
Ospreys and Scarlets poised to merge in Welsh club overhaul
STEFFAN THOMAS
Welsh rugby is set for its most radical overhaul since 2003 with the country’s two most successful professional sides – Ospreys and Scarlets – poised to merge as soon as the start of next season.
While Warren Gatland’s national side are just two victories away from a first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2012 having won their last 12 games, off the field political chaos has ensued.
Crunch talks over ‘Project Reset’ – the system by which Welsh rugby will be run moving forward – have been held between the Welsh Rugby Union and its four professional sides.
WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips has long been keen to establish a new outfit in north Wales, which has led to the current outfits – Dragons, Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Scarlets – fearing for their future. It is understood Ospreys and Scarlets will combine to form a new team.
Discussions over what the new combined region will be called and where they will play are ongoing, but barring any last minute hitches an announcement is imminent.
Discussions between the WRU and its four regions over the last fortnight saw every option considered, but the Scarlets have stepped in to ensure the Ospreys have some sort of future.
The new franchise will have a higher budget than both the Ospreys and Scarlets respectively and the hope is the combined region will stand a chance of competing to win the Heineken Champions Cup.
Current contracts for players on both sides will be honoured. Incoming Scarlets head coach Brad Mooar and Ospreys boss Allen Clarke will both have future coaching roles at the new side.
It is also understood that initially the plans are to play Guinness Pro 14 fixtures out of Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli with European games at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium.
The Ospreys and Scarlets boast some of Gatland’s biggest stars including captain Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Jonathan Davies, Justin Tipuric, Rob Evans, Samson Lee and Gareth Davies.
An imminent amalgamation of the Ospreys and Scarlets means a new professional region in north Wales based in Colwyn Bay is imminent.
The Dragons and Blues will continue in their current guises.
That seems a particularly poorly thought out plan.
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I’m Scarlet for them.
What’s really weird about that plan, is that they are going to give one team two panels and then start a whole new team with no players up the road.
I get that they want to keep the ethos/support of the two clubs in the merger, but surely there’s a smarter idea then having what 80 players fucked into the one club?
Maybe they’re planning to appoint Clive Woodward as coach.
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Ospreys is already an amalgamation of Neath and Swansea and they lost a huge number of fans of both clubs when they merged. This is a terrible idea, can’t believe they’re considering it. Will ruin both clubs.
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On the positive side it will further diminish the Pro 14 as a competition.
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I assume this means they’ll get rid of the world cup
Theyll do their sums and holiday plans and work from there.
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