THE future of Newport Gwent Dragons is completely secure and there is no chance of them or anyone else being part of a further cull of the regions.

That assurance was given to the South Wales Argus by Welsh rugby's top man, WRU chief executive Steve Lewis.

A row has broken out after suggestions by former Wales captains Mike Hall and Ieuan Evans that the four regions should be further cut to three (Celtic Warriors were disbanded almost two years ago) because there aren't enough quality players to go around.

No Welsh region has managed to qualify for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals for the second year running, only Llanelli Scarlets have made the semi-finals of the Powergen Cup and none of them is among the leaders of the Celtic League.

Hall went further by suggesting the Dragons would be the ones to go, or at best be reduced to development status while Jonathan Davies said more overseas players should be brought in because there aren't enough quality Welsh ones.

But Steve Lewis insisted today: "We firmly believe in four professional teams. There is no appetite to go to three and we firmly believe that four is right.

"There is enough money in the professional game to support four teams and there are enough players coming through the system to support those four sides.

"And all the broadcasting agreements and other contractual arrangements were built around having four teams. We don't want to go to three."

Dragons coach Paul Turner has labelled Hall's comments a disgrace.

"We should definitely have four teams. Cardiff are having a bad time, so it's all our fault," he said after the Dragons' narrow defeat against Munster in Cork.

"I was disappointed with what I was hearing. Two ex-Cardiff players (Hall and Davies) were paid to give their views and it's nothing short of a disgrace some of the things they were saying," he fumed while then claiming the regions lacked the depth and financial backing to go far in Europe.

"I feel sorry for Dai Young (Cardiff director of rugby), we were in the same position in Munster and could and should have won.

"But if anyone has got any pretences about us (Welsh teams) winning the European Cup they are misplaced. For us to qualify is as near as winning it for the regions."

Speculation had grown about the future of the Dragons once it became known Tony Brown does not intend returning - he has written to Turner and Steve Lewis confirming that -- and nothing has come from a group supposed to be interested in taking over.

But the Dragons board and the WRU chief executive confirm there is no concern about the future of the region.