Politics and Welsh rugby are almost inextricably linked.

It has always been so, and now, in the professional age, money and rugby are one and the same thing.

But if only they weren't, if only we could just wave a magic wand and get on with the game. Because two of the new Welsh rugby regions are setting the game alight, earning new respect and celebrating two magnificent results.

Newport Gwent Dragons were given little or no chance of achieving anything this season but they are proving all the critics and pundits so wrong.

The latest achievement was to beat French champions Stade Francais; a team littered with stars were left stunned at Rodney Parade.

A Dragons team predicted to finish bottom of their Heineken Cup group, possibly without winning a game, had shot to the top ahead of former European champions Leicester and Ulster and runners-up Stade Francais.

The lead lasted barely 24 hours - until Ulster achieved an amazing 33-0 victory over Leicester.

But the Dragons have still reached the halfway stage in the competition in second place and had they managed to achieve a bonus point could even be top.

And then there are the Warriors whose victory over Wasps at the English club's stronghold was one of the finest achievements by any Welsh team in Europe.

Wasps have carried all before them in the Zurich Premiership and are tipped by many to even win the Heineken Cup, so it was a stunning victory.

What compelling viewing it made on Sunday to see the performances by Ulster and the Warriors against the top dogs of English rugby. One of the more amusing asides was to see 'Sir Clive' squirming in his studio seat.

The Sunday double followed the Dragons' shock result against the French champions, and such is the interest in the Gwent team all of a sudden that Welsh media men are hurriedly changing their schedules in order to be at the Stade Jean de Bouin on Sunday.

But there is always something to divert attention from what we should be concentrating on, which is to heap deserved praise on the players, coaches and management.

They are so often criticised, but Llanelli - the standard bearers for Wales in Europe for years - the Dragons and the Warriors deserve huge plaudits.

The way the Dragons have defied all the odds and all the problems off the field to be third in the Celtic League and second in their Heineken Cup group is little short of miraculous.

And the Warriors deserve similar praise after the way they beat Wasps when they had to contend with all manner of uncertainty during the build-up because of major merger speculation involving Cardiff and themselves.

In each case the staff and players have remained absolutely focused and simply got on with the job, showing remarkable commitment to achive two massive victories in Europe.

They have shown, just as Wales did in the World Cup, that Welsh rugby is still very much alive and kicking.

Yet still we get dragged down by all the politics.

There remains major disquiet over names, which I can fully understand given the history of clubs like Newport, Bridgend and Pontypridd.

Of course, it's hard for fans to give all that up and adapt to foreign names like Dragons and Warriors, but it's the same for the players and look how they are responding.

As far as the Dragons are concerned, both WRU group chief executive David Moffett and general manager Steve Lewis have confirmed that the title is Newport Gwent Dragons. And the permanent home is Rodney Parade.

So for goodness sake let's drop all the dyed-in-the-wool stuff now and get behind it. Maybe it will come back one day to four super clubs. Maybe it will thrive as a region, who knows?

It is, nevertheless, more than mildly amusing to see all the wailing and the gnashing of teeth at the prospect of Cardiff merging with another region.

We can't possibly lose the name, Cardiff is above all that, go the howls of protest.

The fact that all the other clubs, with the exception of perhaps Llanelli, have done the same is now out of the window, that doesn't matter - all that does is preserving the name of Cardiff.

Well, I'm sorry, but the rest of Wales has little sympathy. We've been there, done it - now Cardiff might have to go through the same pain.

At the end of the day, I don't think this merger will happen anyway. There are too many obstacles, like deeds of covenant, and the shareholders will surely never support it.

But for people to attack chairman Peter Thomas is inexcusable. Newport had an opportunity to go it alone, but it wasn't taken. Why should Tony Brown take stick for not going down that road?

These people have the best interests of their clubs at heart. They realise rugby is a business now and why should they continue to pour large amounts of their own money in?