FIRST Division clubs meet WRU supremo David Moffett tonight urging him to increase next season's planned top domestic league from 12 to 16 teams.

Moffett's plan for the future of Welsh rugby calls for four franchised provincial teams playing in the Heineken Cup and Celtic League.

Under that would be a 12-team first or premier division playing league games and cup-ties, and they would be semi-professional.

Making up the 12 sides would be the current nine premier outfits, though made up of mainly development players, and the top three in the current first division.

Below that, two years down the road, all teams would be amateur, clubs receiving just £8,000 with nothing to be spent on players.

All 239 clubs will vote on the proposals at an EGM on February 23, but existing first division clubs are unhappy.

They say 12 teams, giving just 11 home league fixtures, is not enough to make them financially viable even with central funding.

"We'd like 16 teams giving us four more home games and the money we need to to run the club even without wages," said Newbridge secretary Graham Paterson.

"We want to explain to David Moffett why we think there should be 16 teams.

"Even if we are told we can have 16 but with the same funding as 12, we would rather that because we can make up the money with the additional games.

"We realise we will not be playing Cardiff and Llanelli as they are now, but they are still names to help give us decent crowds."

Bob Jude, backer of First Division leaders Pontypool, also favours 16 teams, but made up in a different way.

He favours 14 Welsh sides from the south, but with the addition of North Wales and London Welsh.

"I'd also like another cup competition played in midweek based on home and away fixtures with a shield competition for the losers," said Jude.

"But there is not enough strength in depth to provide more than 14 teams from South Wales."

Over and above that, Jude has a gloomy forecast on the future of Welsh rugby.

"There is no way forward because we haven't got the talent, and the players that are there haven't got the commitment," he said.