WELSH Rugby Union chief David Moffett has angrily denounced people at Newport Gwent Dragons who still resist the regional concept.
He insists Newport will never be granted stand alone status, as well as claiming Newport would not have been one of the 'super clubs' if Welsh rugby had gone down that route.
Moffett was responding to the situation with the Dragons after the departure of another coach (Chris Anderson) and chief executive (Andy Marinos), though the Dragons emphasise most of the previous changes were unavoidable, plus the loss of benefactor Tony Brown.
"I read your interview with Martyn Hazell (Dragons chairman) yesterday and was disappointed I couldn't see any commitment to regional rugby in it," said Moffett.
"There is still a huge debate raging about Newport Gwent Dragons and people wanting to drop the name Gwent and call it Newport Dragons.
"Well, what I can say is that at the end of the day regional rugby is here to stay and that the Dragons are going to be a region.
"If you are talking about super clubs and Welsh rugby had gone down that route, Newport would not have been one of them.
"They had massively under-achieved as a club for many years. They had been given huge investment and had won nothing.
"Here we have a situation where a team is representing the region. It is a regional team so to read this interview with the Dragons chairman and not have a mention of the region is disappointing.
"I'm fed up to the back teeth about whether this is a regional team. We are not open to debate on it.
"They need crowds of 8,000 every game, but while they are disenfranchising the rest of the region they won't do it. If they embrace the region fully people will support it."
The WRU chief executive admits the constant changes at Rodney Parade are a worry to the Union.
"The changes are a concern, and we will meet with the Dragons as a matter of urgency," he said.
"We do want assurances they will put their house in order. They have had a succession of coaches and chief executives and have now lost their benefactor, so it is right and proper the WRU will seek assurances about the future of one of the most important regions in Wales.
"We are concerned that there needs to be continuity, direction and an understanding of where they want to go.
"If the focus is only on Newport and stand alone, I can say that is not going to happen and people are wasting their time thinking of that.
"They should be concentrating on putting the region on a firm financial footing and ensuring they are a region up there among the top teams in Europe.
"They've got a large number of Welsh qualified players playing for them now as a result of the demise of the Celtic Warriors and they need to take the opportunities provided by that."
Moffett finally stressed that the clubs came to him for a solution to their problems over the future structure of the game nearly three years ago.
"They came to us, I didn't impose anything on them," he said, adding: "I suppose if we had stayed at nine clubs we might have won the odd game in the Six Nations."
Wales have, of course, just won the Grand Slam for the first time for 27 years.
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