south wales you lucky lucky b*stards (a little rant about regional borders and being a gog)

First topic message reminder :

Rugby and Wales are two words very much associated with one another, and despite the many problems between the regions and the WRU I just thought I would make aware how lucky you southern lot are in comparison to your poor northern brethren, us gogs. While you southerners often complain about the regional layout and the borders in which the regions are situated, you are all fortunate enough to have a region in which you can watch high quality rugby week in week out fairly easily. for us North Walians it is not easy, while RGC is still in its infant years in terms of potentially becoming a region, we have no true region to support and get behind currently, and I believe this is having a detrimental effect on north wales rugby. Rugby for a Welshman is not just a passion but a religion, but like any religion a child needs to baptised into this culture, yet without the establishment of RGC as a true region then this could see generation after generation of talented north walian players becoming EQ and turning out for English clubs or even moving to other sports such as football or even league.

thankfully for me (results depending) I shall soon be living in one of two rugby mad cities, in either Cardiff or Leicester, which shall help fuel my passion for rugby, but many of us gogs are not so lucky, if you could donate just £50 a month for a poor gog to see just 1 pro rugby match a month then he shall be forever in your debt. the number is 01234 56789

so just a little rant about being a gog and the lack of pro rugby up here, and I pose a  few questions to you,
how long do you think it will be until RGC COULD become a 5th region?
could wales support another region?
And finally, what effect could this have on the national side?

Irish Londoner wrote:I don't think that there would be insurmountable issues with LI and/or the other Exile sides joining the RABO if it were to happen.
1 - There are too many professional sides in the London area, removing LI from the Premiership and LW/LS from the Championship could give the game in England room to expand nationally - maybe add a northern team instead?
2 - There would be very little overlap in terms of attendance, would LI v Leinster affect the attendance at Quins V Northampton on the same day?
3 - There would not have to be a reduction in the English qualified players at the Exile clubs, most of their recruitment would still be from the clubs catchment areas in England so the players would be largely English qualified if they chose to be.
4 - There would still be games with AP sides in whatever version of HEC/Amlin that emerges.
5 - The Exile derbies would be something!

That would be the major draw back for the celtic unions. For example the IRFU would not be able to place 'project' players at LI as they would not be doing residency for Ireland, but for England. Also any uncapped players who were Irish qualified would also be doing their residency for England, meaning if they were overlooked by Ireland the English could take them instead. It would lead to some real inter-union issues.

Fair point Portnoy - any "divorce" would have to be suitably managed, with issues like that adressed - whether a standalone LI/LS/LW side would work in the Rabo would need close examination before anyone jumped ship, however an Exlie side of some sort might work, maybe a combined side of all three?

SS - I'm not so sure, notwithstanding the bloke last season who was Welsh, then Scottish and is now Welsh again, most people would have a fair sense of who their national side was and anyway the RFU would only have an interest if they could show South African or Kiwi ancestry

Irish Londoner wrote:SS - I'm not so sure, notwithstanding the bloke last season who was Welsh, then Scottish and is now Welsh again, most people would have a fair sense of who their national side was and anyway the RFU would only have an interest if they could show South African or Kiwi ancestry

I was going to mention the McShingler issue in my last post as a possible draw back. It would be very interesting to see how it would work if there was a Rabo team based in England though. I think they would get decent attendances, as it would be a chance for people to see some of the big celtic sides as a novelty thing.

Players in non-dom leagues are not exactly fast-tracked into England colours, IL.

Would players with England aspirations actually seek (say) an LI apprenticeship or would they cast their nets further?

Same with any Exiles team although every rugby-playing Scotsman or SQP is a serious contender for a national cap.