R.I.P Wales

Doom and gloom? Far from it -- what happened after the last great revolution when the old guard was swept away? Precisely nothing is the answer.

In fact, it could be argued that Welsh rugby is in an even worse mess now than it has ever been.

While not being an advocate of the WRU and its outdated general committee, what difference is running them all out of town going to make?

Clearly a professional board has got to come in and run the game on a partnership basis as the Sir Tasker Watkins report recommends and as the vast majority of clubs at Sunday's extraordinary meeting showed they want that.

But, I repeat, how will that actually benefit the game on the field at international level? The WRU have just installed a new coach, another one who pleads for time and urges fans to be patient.

But patience has run out and those loyal fans were quite vitriolic in their reaction to Saturday's pathetic performance against Scotland.

And how did their clubs help them on Sunday when they had a chance to do something about it? How did the game's rulers react to the growing demands of professionalism? They let them down. Their only concern seemed to be about the need for reform of the WRU which is fair enough, but won't solve very much.

It is no good the majority harassing the benefactors who have, in some cases, brought their own revolution to the game.

Look at what has happened at Rodney Parade. If that is not a revolution in its own way I don't know what is.

A whole new team, a squad which has won the cup and is bidding to add the league title, a complete transformation from the one heading towards oblivion four years ago.

Off-the-field there is the family village, a huge investment which is the envy of every other club in Europe never mind Wales. I well remember Heineken Cup officials saying there was nothing to compare with it anywhere in Europe.

Then there is the wide ranging, far reaching Gateway schools and community project, hospitality boxes and ground improvements.

How do people imagine this has all been brought about? They would have to be on Mars or with their heads firmly planted in Barry Island beach not to realise it has all been down to the investment of Tony Brown at a huge personal cost.

Yet how do the have nots react? They carp, they bitch and they whinge. They complain at overpaid players and at too many foreigners, conveniently forgetting that no-one wanted to join Newport under its previous regime.

Competing and winning in Europe, winning at international level, that is what it's all about.

How do all those at Sunday's meeting think they have helped that by voting for the same old status quo and simply calling for the WRU to go? All they have done is encourage people like Brown to walk away.

The WRU are not helping either by trying to centrally contract players which will drive down ambition and encourage the few better players to leave and play in England. And there is a bald acceptance in the WRU that Wales is at the bottom of the economic league, so we can't possibly attract the same sponsorship from the business community as other countries.

If that is the case why are we bothering at all? That is tantamount to to admitting Wales can never do anything.

Like it or not, and many don't, as they showed on Sunday, it is all about money now. Rugby is a professional game, it can't survive without money. Ask all those small clubs who want the WRU to go, but are against the game's money men, accusing the big clubs of greed, when all they are really concerned about is still getting their own hand-outs. Part of the Watkins report says funding should be cut off altogether below the First Division. Will all those clubs who voted against the likes of Brown on Sunday now vote to cut off their own money? Will they hell.

So they shouldn't complain if the benefactors walk away, if the top clubs can't compete in Europe, if Wales can't hack it in the international field and the shop window is blown apart.

The clubs want their own money, but they want to limit the money at the top level. Talk about hypocrisy and double-standards.

I think the whole thing stinks and I believe Wales is so far down the ladder that it won't recover.

The days of relying on native flair have long gone. Now it is all about investment and infrastructure, and you can't have any of that without money - and large slices of it. To me, the whole attitude on Sunday, far from being the start of something, merely proves that before long Welsh rugby will become like Welsh soccer. The clubs will be shorn of their leading players, without top competition and Wales will rely on players coming in from far and wide, but will languish on the bottom of the pile.

In short, Welsh rugby will be dead and the Millennium Stadium will be a total white elephant. RIP.

How sad, therefore, that the end of 50 years of magic from the incomparable Bill McLaren came to such a sad end with one of the worst games in even the great man's memory. After gracing the game for so long, he ended his final Six Nations commentary with such a deplorable game - he deserved better, so did we all. But I fear the game will serve no-one in the future.