WRU's shabby act

But still the Dragons have not been paid any money by the WRU and for the second month running the cheque to cover wages has been withheld.

That is a scandalous situation and the WRU and its chief officers should be ashamed of themselves.

The reason they have not handed over the money is the Dragons' refusal to sign the participation agreement the other three Welsh regions have signed.

Yet the WRU are content for the Dragons to be called a region while being funded as a club with stand alone status like Llanelli Scarlets and Cardiff Blues.

Nothing has been heard about this matter for weeks and it seems the WRU are quite prepared not to pay the Dragons and happily see the money to keep the region afloat come out of one man's pocket - Tony Brown's.

Again that is scandalous and it's a real dereliction of the WRU's duty and responsibility. There is only one source of action open to the Dragons now and that is to take the whole matter through the courts.

There has to be a grave doubt whether what the WRU are doing is legal given that they are putting financial duress on the Dragons to sign an agreement with which they fundamentally disagree.

The problem is that both sides have become polarised, with the WRU saying stand alone status is non-negotiable and the Dragons insisting they be paid as the region they are being called by the governing body.

But the financial cake has now been split up as the other regions have signed the agreement, and they are receiving their allotted monies.

Again, it could all come down to the law to decide. On that basis I can see only one winner, and that won't be the WRU.

Meanwhile, as ever, Tony Brown won't see the players suffer. He will meet all financial obligations himself and the players who have joined from the defunct Celtic Warriors will soon realise this time they are operating in a safe, secure and honourable environment.

The Dragons kick off their Heineken Cup programme on Saturday against Jonny Wilkinson's Newcastle at Rodney Parade.

It's a huge challenge, however much Newcastle chief Rob Andrew tries to play down his team's chances, and it is to be hoped the fans turn out in the numbers the Dragons deserve. Some go to extraordinary lengths as it is, like the woman fan at the Borders match last Friday who said she had a choice early that morning - to do the ironing at home or drive to Galashiels to watch the Dragons.

She chose the latter and then left Scotland for home around 10.30pm to watch the Newport game on Saturday afternoon.

Then there is the London-based businessman/fan who was at Galashiels. He gets a Dragons fixture list at the start of the season and plans the next eight months around that.

So if they can go that far the 'ordinary' fan can get out of his or her armchair and cheer the Dragons on. They are worth it, for they have forged an excellent spirit, are winning in Wales, Scotland and Ireland and have got some high quality players.

They have scored some glorious tries, the latest by Gareth Cooper against Borders, though I'd be a bit more confident about Europe if their forward platform was more secure.

On the round ball front, the next Wales football manager should be John Toshack if he's prepared to take the job on.

He may not be everyone's cup of tea with his perceived arrogance, not to say conceit. And he's pretty self-opinionated into the bargain.

But with his massive experience he's the best man for the job and the fact that some of the players would rebel is reason enough to appoint him.

The Dragons had to put up with the appointment of former Australia rugby league coach Chris Anderson, who had no experience in the union game.

They didn't exactly get on at the start when his methods were quite unpopular, but they had to bite the bullet and get on with it. Now they are reaping the rewards.

Similarly with Toshack. He should be appointed and the players would just have to get on with it.

What's the alternative? Chris Coleman doesn't want the job, neither does Gary Speed. So we're left with Brian Flynn.

Do me a favour.