Llanelli RFC

hoppy wrote: Newport away Saturday called off game awarded to Newport  The mismanagement of Llanelli RFC by those at the helm is a disgrace. They've dragged the club through the mud over many years now, but to kill the end of the season off in such a manner is farcical. For a Premiership side to fail to grasp permits and field a side is shameful.

pathetic people… sad to see 

Gate12 wrote: Any news on the snazzy new Elite Domestic Competition? The WRU said that the application process would be concluded by the end of 2023 so they must be pretty far down the road by now in terms of getting something a bit more concrete out.

hoppy wrote: Regarding criteria 1; Cardiff asked the WRU what would happen if they pulled out for next season and were told it would be bottom of the pyramid. So I'll be honest, it doesn't look good for Llanelli here.

I think Scarlets will just forget about Llanelli work closely with the Drovers but not sure re Quins now. 

Edited by reesytheexile - 12 October 2023 at 5:55pm

WalesOnline can reveal the full details of how the Welsh Rugby Union's new Elite Domestic Competition (EDC) will work. Provided there are no setbacks along the way the WRU's forward thinking plan will revolutionise the game in this country for the better. The EDC will sit above the Welsh Premiership and below the regional game.

The most significant aspect sees the clubs involved effectively break away from the community game and come under the remit of the Professional Rugby Board and the Rugby Management Board. WalesOnline has seen a high level document which outlines a strong plan for player development over the next three years, a £150,000 salary cap on the playing squad and £60,000 on backroom staff. The regions will meanwhile have control over key decisions such as appointing a director of rugby at what will essentially be their feeder club.

What is the purpose of the EDC? 

The aim is to bridge the gap between the semi-professional game and the United Rugby Championship while it seems the WRU are doing their best to regulate and professionalise player development. 

The WRU themselves describe the EDC as being intended to provide "high quality playing and club-based development opportunities for those in Wales below the fully professional game in a competition environment that more closely replicates the demands and goals of professional rugby." 

With the development of players at the forefront of the WRU's plans the main goal of the EDC is the following: 

• The focus on the preparation of players for the demands of a life in professional rugby. 
• An increase in quality of competition (as experienced by players, spectators, coaches, and performance metrics, i.e., ball in play, match intensity) in a unified and phased season. 
• Consistent playing time and opportunity for Regional Players. 
• To ensure late developers aren't lost to the professional game in Wales.
• The seamless integration and movement of players between Regional and EDC environments. 
• A strong and effective working relationships with Regional partner, and other key stakeholders (for example, colleges, schools, and universities). 

What will the format be? 

There will be two competitions played at this level in a season, the WRU Elite Domestic Championships and the WRU Elite Domestic Cup. The EDC will be played between September and December while the cup will take place in March and April. 

The EDC will shadow the URC with a block of rounds up to the autumn internationals but the competition will pause for three weeks, before resuming with the remaining rounds. It will culminate with a final at the Principality Stadium, subject to availability, in late December.

[QUOTE=hoppy]So looks like two Feeder clubs from each region RGC and 1 other to form this new league [/QUOTE

Sad to read that, at the same time there’s a part of me that would struggle to see an under funded and unstructured entity make another go for it.

The Prem in the meantime has moved even further ahead with stacks of ex pros in several teams.