THE Welsh Rugby Union is often very much maligned, but it does a great deal for Welsh life, for the city of Cardiff and for large parts of Gwent.

Now it's the turn of the politicians to reciprocate and put their hands in their pockets to assist Welsh rugby.

Of course, the National Assembly and Cardiff City Council should provide financial support to the WRU in their bid to stage the British Lions New Zealand tour warm-up match against Argentina next May.

It is a major prestige game and the Lions rarely play in these shores for they are essentially a touring team who visit New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, flying out on a four-year cycle.

Despite the arrival of professionalism in rugby union these tours remain hugely popular and are regarded as the absolute pinnacle for a home player, even above playing for an individual country.

And the three Southern Hemisphere nations can't wait to host the Lions either. They know there will be house full signs up months before wherever they play for it is an honour to receive the glittering visitors, just as much as it is an honour to play for them.

And it's great to see a figure like Sir Clive Woodward place such a heavy emphasis in these days of increasing nationalism on the British Lions.

So when he wants a unique warm-up match for the Lions before they leave and when there is a chance of the match being played at the Millennium Stadium despite rival bids from Twickenham and Murrayfield, local and national Welsh politicans should leave no stone unturned in their efforts to stage the game in Wales.

Far too few people realise that the Millennium Stadium is the jewel in the crown of Welsh life, not just rugby, but in every sense.

The stadium more than anything else puts Wales on the world map.

It is a fantastic arena with a 75,000 capacity, with the proximity of the vast crowd to the pitch, without any running track around it, and it has a unique city centre location.

Nowhere in the world is there a stadium of such magnitude situated in the middle of a major city. The whole of the country ought to recognise that and get behind the WRU rather than knock it and dismiss the stadium as a white elephant which it most certainly is not.

On international match days, on the occasion of other major events like the FA Cup final, international football match days and nights, world speedway finals etc, etc it is not just the WRU and the game of rugby that benefits but the whole capital city of Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

Businesses like hotels, restaurants and bars make thousands of pounds whereas the WRU benefit just from ticket sales or rental as the case may be.

The knock-on effects of having the stadium in the middle of the city are huge, not just for businesses but in prestige. No-one who visits the stadium, whether to play or watch, is anything less than mighty impressed.

The WRU were right to rebuild the stadium on its present site and they are right not to sell it either. It is the crown jewel and they should retain control, especially with chief executive David Moffett and his colleagues doing so much to attract sponsors, like negotiating a £20m deal for naming rights, and to stage more major events there.

In return, the National Assembly and city council ought to back the WRU bid to stage the British Lions-Argentina match.

They support golf (the Ryder Cup in 2010), culture (the new Millennium Centre) and rallying (the Network Q Rally) so they should put more into something which is even bigger and is a regular attraction not just a one-off like the Ryder Cup.

They should give the WRU and the stadium big reductions in their financial obligations now, even without the possibility of staging a special match, given the millions they bring into Wales on match days.

The country has a massive asset in the Millennium Stadium which is the envy of the sporting world. It's about time the politicians did something about it.

Assembly leader Rhodri Morgan is only too happy to jet off to the other side of the world to watch Wales play New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup in Australia when it just happens to coincide with a trade mission.

If he is that fond of the game, if he so likes to be associated with it he ought to lead the way by giving it more financial support to help provide the Welsh nation with the recognition it deserves.