THE snippets from the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report into the state of Welsh rugby that came to light yesterday will have come as no surprise to most who have an interest in the game.

It was a report that didn’t paint either the Welsh Rugby Union or the regions in a particularly favourable light.

It warned that the regions cannot continue to rely on benefactors and that Wales will suffer on the international stage unless something is done to stop the player drain.

Centrally contracting players appears to be out of the question while cutting the number of regions or reverting to clubs was given short shrift.

The recommendation is an obvious one – the relationship between the WRU and the regions needs to be improved.

There needs to a united front and the Union need to do more to help rather than bask in the glory of international success given that the fickle nature of sport means a peak could swiftly turn into a trough.

At times it’s easy to find amusement in the state of Scottish rugby with their frequent battles to avoid the Six Nations wooden spoon and failure to turn pressure into points thanks to an attack that is as sharp as a pair of primary school scissors.

They have suffered from culling their clubs to two – Glasgow and Edinburgh – yet there is also evidence of a good partnership.

When in Glasgow last Friday morning a native approached me as I slurped on a cup of tea.

“I’m done with this paper boss, do you want it?”

I was happy to accept and when I read it in the correct direction – back to front – he was delighted to offer a forthright opinion.

“That McCoist was a great player but as a manager? Forget it.”

With that he was off, leaving me looking at a two-page dissection of Rangers’ defeat to an Inverness Caledonian Thistle side for whom ex-County skipper Gary Warren had scored.

You see, it’s all about ‘fitba’ in Glasgow; It’s Celtic Park, Ibrox and Hampden.

But that hasn’t stopped rugby from making great strides in the city – their ambitious club made the Pro12 play-offs last season and look good to repeat the trick.

They thrashed the Dragons last week in front of just more than 3,000 fans with a display that was every bit as impressive as their new set-up at Scotstoun Stadium.

There is a superb stand that caters for the punters and houses changing rooms, hospitality suites and media facilities but beneath it is what is really impressive.

Glasgow benefit from a gym stocked with all the weights they need and indoor sprint lanes, complementing the outside training pitches and athletics track.

“We are delighted to be playing here,” Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend told me afterwards.

“We’ve got a strong squad and we train here, play here and can sense things are growing.

“The crowd have a real connection with the team and we know that we will get bigger and bigger attendances.

“We have ambitions and are backed by Scottish Rugby, who also have high hopes about what they believe we can do with professional rugby, and I include Edinburgh in that.

“For years in Scotland we struggled pyscholgiacally to accept professional rugby but we have crossed that line. Now we are backing it and want it to go from strength to strength.”

On the field they have been bolstered by the excellent South African Josh Strauss and sparkling scrum-half Niko Matawalu from Fiji, while the SRU have aided in attracting what looks like a humdinger of a signing.

Exciting Crusaders wing Sean Maitland - who is qualified to play for Scotland thanks to his grandparents - has penned a three-year deal at Scotstoun.

In Welsh rugby we’re swift to point to Ireland – to Leinster, Munster and Ulster – as an example.

Yet Scotland – where football rules in a way that would not happen here even if the Premier League contained both Swansea and Cardiff – could also teach us some valuable lessons.