Money decides rugby’s winners and losers

BEHIND THE HEADLINES: Money decides rugby’s winners and losers

6:24pm Tuesday 4th November 2014

Grassroots rugby clubs in Gwent are battling dwindling attendances. CIARAN KELLY takes a look at how clubs are battling to connect with fans.

EARLIER this year, Wales star Leigh Halfpenny became one of the highest paid rugby players in the world with a reported annual salary of around £400,000 at Toulon.

The move was said to reflect how difficult it is for the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to keep pace with their French counterparts. Indeed, Halfpenny is one of five Wales internationals currently plying their trade in France.

Regionally, too, the days of foreign superstars like Jerry Collins, David Lyons, Jonah Lomu and Percy Montgomery turning out for the regions in Wales seems a distant memory.

Yet, it has been within the grassroots of Welsh rugby in Gwent that the financial strain of recent years has been particularly felt.

Many clubs in Gwent have had to cope with dwindling attendances and rising costs, but there remains a dedicated following whose routine is not complete without a weekly pilgrimage to their local rugby club………………. see more at :- http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/NEWS/11579220.print/