Nigel Walker insists the Welsh Rugby Union are happy with Warren Gatland despite a disappointing Six Nations campaign and has revealed they will consider all options when it comes to the future of the professional game. It has been a torrid Six Nations for Wales who have lost a significant chunk of experienced players over the last year which has forced Gatland into blooding youth. While Wales are going through some pain, WRU' executive director of rugby Walker is confident Wales will be in a far stronger place by the 2027 Rugby
World Cup in Australia. Walker also revealed all options are being considered when it comes to the future of the professional game, including going down to three teams. The WRU are currently undergoing a strategic review, which the help of Portas Consulting, into the whole game in Wales, with CEO Abi Tierney set to publish a long-term strategy for Welsh rugby at all levels in June. SIGN UP: Get the new exclusive Inside Welsh rugby newsletter for full insight into what's really going on around all the big issues. This special offer will get you full access for the entire year for just £10 instead of £40. Somewhere near the top of the agenda will be how to fix the professional game with all four regions - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys , and Scarlets - having struggled on and off the field for the large parts of the past decade. Walker insists the WRU's preference would be to keep four sides but going down to three, and even a tiered funding model are being considered. But the former Wales wing revealed it is a strategic aim of the WRU for the regions to be competing for silverware, and he believes it is an achievable goal. Walker also revealed the WRU are working hard to stop the player drain to
England at age grade level, while he also outlined his plans to produce more and better players. Here's everything Walker had to say... Can you characterise the current state of Welsh rugby? “We’re going through a difficult time. Nobody has hidden from that. “The reset, if I can use that word, was necessary because we - the Union and the regions - were spending beyond our means. If we hadn’t made that correction, professional rugby would have been in jeopardy, there’s no two ways about it. “So we know we’re going through a difficult period in terms of squad depth. A few players have left, a small number of players. “Doomsayers were saying all sorts of things were going to happen but that hasn’t happened. We’re working more closely with the regions than at any time since their inception in 2003. “We had a PRB meeting just this week, we’re united in our aim to take the professional game forward. Since I was on the Cardiff Board, I’ve said that regional rugby is important. "It has to be important to the national team and we need both elements to be firing at full capacity.” Have the WRU been asleep at the wheel for the last 10 years? “Ideally, we wouldn’t be in the position we have been over the last year or so, where we’ve lost hundreds of caps in a relatively small number of players. People like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar, now George North. "You wouldn’t want to lose the services of those players all in a 12 month period. I’m not going to apportion blame but you’re right, that should have been managed better than it has been managed. “When Warren came back, he mentioned that he was concerned about the depth in the squad and what might happen. He has taken the very brave step of going with youth. "He has been honest and said it will be difficult because there is no substitute for experience. The team has performed well in parts, it hasn’t been as consistent as Warren would like but there are reasons for optimism. “We will play
South Africa in June and go on the tour to Australia with the same philosophy and the same approach. And ultimately, we will be better off for that. “I would expect those performances to improve and for us to start winning and by the time we get to 2027, we’ll have a squad of players built largely on the youngsters playing now, with a few more experienced players sprinkled in. But the number of caps we’ll have in that squad will be much greater than it is today and perhaps that’s the experience that is missing at the moment.” Join the Wales Rugby
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JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY HERE Is there a concern about how long it could take for results to turn and that attendances at Test matches could drop and starting impacting revenue? “I know the point you’re making but given where we are, what’s the option? You have to invest in youth. “We’re not just looking at the squad of players who are there now. That’s why Rob Howley is mentoring Richard Whiffin and the link between the Under-20s and senior team is now much stronger than it ever has been. “Richie Pugh has responsibility for the under-18s and he’s working very closely with Richard Whiffin. We know we need to do more work on that pipeline.” Was that sort of thing was not happening previously? “We can always improve and those alignments that I’ve talked about are now much stronger than they ever have been. They will bear fruit. “And there is lots of work being done further down the pipeline at 15s, 16s and 17s. There is the academy licensing, with minimum standards and minimum spend on those academies. “All these things are happening at the same time. We’re pulling every lever that is possible to pull. “We’re now making sure that we do have a true pathway but it will take time. I’m not saying it’s going to take six or seven years for the senior team to start winning but the fruits of our labours at 16s, 18s and 20s level may take a few years to come through. “What we’re doing with the elite domestic competition is another example of raising the standard for those players who are not quite ready for regional contracts. They’ll be playing at a level higher than they would have previously. “All these things are contributing so we’re making a lot of changes.” What about the academies? “Each region has to sign a licence for their academy and there are minimum standards in terms of support staff, what they do with the players. “Where there is best practice, they have to learn from that best practice. There has to be minimum spends, so there is a real focus on the most talented 18 and 19-year-olds to make sure that they progress and develop as quickly as possible.” Harrison Keddie is a player that never quite made the step up - is it easier for these players to develop in successful environments? “The bottom line is that you need to create a performance environment in each of our regions. I’m not saying it’s not there but it needs to be there in that performance environment. “It’s much easier to come through if you’re playing in successful environments with experienced players. Of course, everybody knows that. “But it’s not just turning on a tap and saying ‘this is what we’re going to do’. Money is part of it but it’s not the only thing. There are a whole raft of things that you’ve got to get right. “We have talked extensively within the PRB over the last six or eight weeks - as we go through our strategy process - around what good would look like. “They’ve (the regions) been part of that process and we’re building something from the bottom up, if you like. “I’m not blaming the regions. It’s not their fault. But we’ve got to create an environment for these young players to come through and then we need to give them the playing opportunities and perhaps in the past they haven’t had the right playing opportunities when they’ve graduated from under-20s.” Does it require more? “We’ve highlighted a minimum figure and we’ve split where we think that money should be spent. We’re obviously going to monitor it. “Each academy will be audited at least once a year formally against the standards that we set. It’s not being over-officious, it’s about making sure that they’re creating an environment for those young players, not just to survive, but to come through and fulfil their potential as quickly as possible.” How long will it take to have a constant cycle of players ready to go? “The academies have not been unsuccessful because we’ve had players coming through. Whether we’ve had them coming through at the right pace is another matter. “When will we be at the optimum level? I can’t say whether that’s going to be two years, three years or four years. “But we’ve got a better chance of getting to that position now that we’ve made the changes that we have.” It's been a difficult Six Nations results wise. Has Warren Gatland got your backing? “Well it’s not down solely to me. I’m one person and I think Abi Tierney and the Board might have a say in it. "But what I can say is that we’re happy with the approach, we’re happy with the blooding of youngsters and we’re confident that we won’t be in the same position in 2027 as we were for this World Cup, where the squad was creaking for a number of reasons.” Wales coach Warren Gatland (Image: Getty Images) Some say we haven't got enough professional level players to service four professional sides. Do you agree? "Well if you've got four teams you need circa 160 professional players. Some pundits have come out and said we haven't got those players. Can we get to 160? Possibly, probably. "The decision of how many we have is complex. From a national team perspective you'd want six teams or eight teams because you get more players. "If you are talking about the regions being successful and how many players we've got now some people might subscribe to the view you've just explained. What we are doing through the strategy process is talking about everything and coming to a view. "As soon as we finish those discussions we'll let you know what the outcome is." But is going down to three sides a possibility? "Some people would say going down to three teams would give us the best chance of those three teams being successful but there's more to it than just the regions being successful because of the impact it has. For example, if we went down to two along the Scottish model and lets just say one of your outside-halves was non-Welsh qualified that would mean you'd have one Welsh qualified outside-half playing every week. There are other issues besides that. "I know I'm sitting on the fence but I have to sit on the fence because we are going through a process. If we can get four teams firing that's the best thing for the national team, and if we get four teams firing that's the best thing for the regions as well. "If we go down to three teams it has implications elsewhere. It's obviously possible, everything's possible. "Am I advocating that? No, I'm not. I'm just saying it is possible." Do we need to see significant change in Welsh rugby to get back on track rather than rearrange the deck chairs? "Well, we are making significant change at academy level, at U20s level, and U18s level. I'm not saying those changes are going to turn us into Six Nations champions by 2025. It would be great. "We are going through a process. All things are being discussed in that process and we'll come to a view over the course of the... we have to produce our strategy by June 30th. "Not every decision, whether it be drastic or mid range decision, not every decision will be made on June 30th. It's impossible. As you go through a strategy process you talk about the things which are going to have maximum impact in the shortest period of time and you talk about the volume of things you can change all in one go. "If you changed everything and then you had success or you had failure you wouldn't know what had worked. So we have to take a view on that, and we will take a view on it. "I know people will criticise me for opening my mouth and not saying anything but you wouldn't expect me to give you the answer now because we are going through a process. I'm just saying we are looking at everything conceivable over the course of the four months and we'll come up with a strategy. "We will concentrate on those things which we need to implement in the short-term to have the biggest impact." What's the funding for the regions looking like for next season? Can you go above the £4.5m cap? "We've got a framework, it's a six-year framework. We are in year two. "We've said all along it's a flexible framework and by flexible we mean we hope there will be more money within the regional set-up as we get towards the end of the framework. We are having very meaningful conversations about making more money available in the short and medium term." Is the 25 cap law going to be reviewed? "Everything is constantly under review but if I explain to the people who are going to read this. There are two main thrusts to the 25 cap law. "One is about preparation for Warren and his team. We've seen that in play. "You've seen what Gregor Townsend has said and how it has affected them (Scotland). That's without doubt and would be one disadvantage of getting rid of the 25 cap rule if it meant more Welsh qualified players went to play in England,
France or
Japan or wherever else they went. "The other reason is protection for our regions at a time when they are vulnerable. They are vulnerable for all the reasons that we've talked about. "They have fewer pounds, shilling, and pence to spend on their squads than others at the moment. That's why the 25 cap law is in play. "Now people can say dispense with it because it's this, that, and the other. People have come to the view that if we dispense with the 25 cap rule what would that mean for professional rugby in Wales? "It wouldn't be good and that's my view and the regions' view. It doesn't mean it can't be reviewed. "It came down from 60 to 25 as you know because of the pressures we were under at that time, and to reflect the amount of money in the game in Wales. If you had been a professional player in Wales for three years you could get to 25 caps if you play in every game. "What about the investment the regions are putting into those players? Do they need some protection to make sure they can get some return on their investment? "Those are the things which will continue to be taken into account as we move forward." Wales are losing players to England at age grade level and we all know the situation with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Is anything being done to prevent this sort of thing happening again? "Yes, is the short answer. I had a meeting just this week with a university to talk about what we can do and how we can work more closely together. "One Welsh university is not going to solve the problem I'm not suggesting that. We are also talking to colleges and universities all the time. "If somebody wants to become a medical student for example, and I'm not talking about Immanuel, it's obviously quite a vocation and a profession. The options are limited to where you can go. "We need to make sure we've had the conversations to make sure that persons had the best chance of going to a university whether it's inside of Wales or outside of Wales will be returning to Wales when their studies are finished. So, we recognise it's a problem. "The problem is greater between 16-18 than it is between 18-21 but I'm not saying there isn't a problem between 18-21. As a parent I wanted my children to have the best education possible, as do most parents. "We need to make sure that wherever the university or higher education establishment is that we've got the best chance at ensuring that player returns to Wales once they've finished their studies if they go outside of Wales or they've got a better chance of meeting their educational priorities within Wales. Yes, it's something we are on to but again it's not something that can be solved overnight." If you look across Welsh rugby we lack big physical ball carriers. How can we solve that? "If somebody is going to be 5ft 10inch that's what they are. There's nothing you can do about that but what you can do is make them more powerful and more athletic. "That's one of the things we are looking at within our academies." But how can you change that? "Because you can change the programme that they've got. So lets pick a No 8. Warren would say this is the ideal No 8 I'm looking for at senior level. "That filters down. It doesn't mean that you are looking for that person but once you've identified the four or five best No 8s at U19s level or U17s level you can say these are the physical components they should have. What do we need to bridge that gap between where they are now and where they would need to be physically if it's 22-23. You give them a programme and they follow that programme. "They've got a much better chance of being successful as a result. I know that's pretty basic stuff but we are not doing that at the moment universally across the board. "I was at the Wales v France U20s game and there were some big French players out there. There were very big French players and very capable French players, and very elusive French players. "We played well in parts but we were overpowered in parts as well. What can we do about that to bridge that physical gap." Can you see a moment in time where a Welsh region can compete to win the Champions Cup? "That has to be the aspiration. There will be targets for the national team and the regional teams. "Those aspirations towards the end of the strategy period, yes I can see us competing." In
Ireland huge investment goes into Leinster and their wealth trickles down to everyone else. Could we adopt a similar model in Wales? "It is an option. It is a possible way forward but in order to do that, it would have to be discussed at PRB and agreed at PRB. "That's not something the WRU could impose on the regions. It would be a conversation. "We started this by asking could we go to three? Of course we could. "Could you stay at four? Of course you could. "Could you have a 2+2 model? Could you have a 3+1 model? "Could you have a 1+3 model? All of those things are possibilities. "They will be discussed and we will come to a view if we want the national team to be winning Six Nations titles and getting to the latter stages of World Cups. If we want our regional teams to be in the play-off stages of URC and Champions Cup what do we need in the short-term, the medium-term, and the long-term based on the money that's available. "Those things are being discussed." You mentioned things get discussed at PRB level but a lot of things get discussed at that level and it stops there. What can you say to people who are sceptical about whether you have the ability to get purposeful change through the PRB? "It's a good question! There is a desire from all of those around the table to ensure that Welsh rugby is successful at all levels and everything that's involved in Welsh rugby. "I would think that most people would think that difficult decisions are going to need to be made in order for us to achieve that aim." In 3-4 years what do you want Welsh rugby to look like? "What I would want for Welsh rugby is the senior men's and women's team competing in the latter stages of World Cup's, WXV for the
Women as well, to win Six Nations Championships, and Grand Slams, and for the regional sides not just to be competitive but to be challenging to win trophies." And you are confident that can happen with the regions because you are up against far wealthier clubs elsewhere? "Correct. If we get our structures right and we can fund the regions to the level we all want the regions to be funded to we can do it. "We are a small nation but we just need to be the smartest nation. If we are smart and given the population where the majority of the population is based and where our professional clubs are all within 40 miles of each other... if we are smart we can do it. "I really believe that."