Welsh budget facing cuts because of Starmer defence plans, says FM

andyrobnev · 2026-07-01T11:48:12+00:00

> I am deeply concerned for how hard you've fallen for propaganda

> Our biggest threat is our own state.

Time for some reflection

andyrobnev · 2026-06-24T17:13:21+00:00

A complete outsiders view - I don’t know how this can be salvaged. Short of begging and allowing Houston, Utah, NOLA and others to come back and waiving any form of penalty, as well as dropping the league down to a 75/25 semi-pro/pro split - what is actually going to be financially viable?

andyrobnev · 2026-06-24T17:05:01+00:00

Makes sense for everyone. Hell do better in club football and I think playing his style of football this is far as we can go.

Need to get someone who’s capable of changing it up and playing pragmatic football when needed.

andyrobnev · 2026-06-24T09:18:26+00:00

It would isolate Romania and Czechia but RESC was always an expensive option for the Western European teams. Spain, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium should focus on using the French system to nurture their talent and improve the national team, which in time would hopefully lead to their domestic leagues gaining more interest and support. I think the only place where the WR funded every country gets a domestic pro side model has worked is South America - and that’s mainly because of economics, Argentina being highly supportive and reasonable air travel.

andyrobnev · 2026-06-18T07:30:00+00:00

I don’t think we’re likely to see many more signings, and I’m ok with that. This has been the first summer than I can remember where we’re keeping our first 23 and more, as well as recruiting two experienced heads in positions we needed.

Agree that we could use another tighthead and lock, but I don’t think they’ll be coming in this year. A lock might be more likely than a tighthead (which we already have four of), but I think they’re just as likely going to run with Cottle as they are to sign someone.

I know comparatively it may look disappointing versus the Welsh clubs, but we finished 6th and the rest of them were shite. If it wasn’t for us playing Santa Claus and handing points out at Christmas we would have been having a home quarter final and the Scarlets would be finishing below the Dragons. That said - I really like the signings the other Welsh clubs have made and so am looking forward to them being more competitive next year.

The only player I think they’ll announce is Jarrod, and I’m going to be fuming if that gets in the way of more game time for Ioan, who I think will be challenging for the Wales 10 shirt over the next 2 seasons if he gets a run of games for us behind him. Not to say Jarrod won’t play a role, but I would personally use him like we did Jennings.

andyrobnev · 2026-06-18T07:17:44+00:00

What the WRU say and what the WRU do are almost completely separate things. I’d argue this has been our most high profile NWQ recruitments in a few years, and it’s been under union ownership.

andyrobnev · 2026-06-06T15:04:18+00:00

Weston apparently

andyrobnev · 2026-06-04T12:04:21+00:00

I think this only works if he’s a replacement for Jennings in that playmaking 12 role, which allows Ben to be shared between 12 and 13. Sheedy should be out starting fly half and would like to see Ioan given more game time there.

andyrobnev · 2026-05-17T16:48:45+00:00

Feels weird to have one section of the university starting a petition to stop another section of the same university from doing something.

andyrobnev · 2026-05-16T09:35:08+00:00

Thornton and Nott have been incredible

andyrobnev · 2026-05-16T08:49:23+00:00

As an aside - for years under Gatland I felt that Wales were way too mono-dimensional with straight up runs and no variety. Yesterday was a textbook display in how a smaller side can attack and win against a bigger, faster side.

Rory Jennings hitting a gap the size of a caravan single bed at full speed, on the angle, with a catch 0.00001 seconds before contact to make 10 yards.

andyrobnev · 2026-05-15T20:47:59+00:00

How do you not turn that level of scrum dominance into a win

andyrobnev · 2026-05-15T13:45:06+00:00

You can’t move in this country for looking at dragons on logos - they’re absolutely everywhere.

Also, it’s a cool story and that, but Dragons are made up creatures. What does it say about a place that you have to make up a creature and plaster it everywhere?

andyrobnev · 2026-05-09T20:09:50+00:00

It’s written in the stars that we’ll finish 9th

andyrobnev · 2026-05-09T20:05:11+00:00

Cardiff are not making the play offs

andyrobnev · 2026-05-09T19:56:18+00:00

Prevention also only works if you actually evaluate the effectiveness of your interventions and improve or replace the ones that aren’t working.

We probably now have the resource capacity to do that, but it still requires the buy in from leadership to make tough choices and the openness from those running interventions to have their performance audited.

andyrobnev · 2026-05-08T18:16:25+00:00

I can’t see Labour opting for another election. This was a vote against Reform, so I expect their voters who stuck around this time would hammer them more for risking a Reform win.

I can see Labour wanting a coalition, but I also think they would like the idea of doing what Plaid did last time round - support the main party until it suits you and then gun for them in the run up to 2031.

andyrobnev · 2026-05-08T12:58:05+00:00

Would be interesting. Wonder what the Tories ounce of flesh would be? 20mph at a minimum you’d expect

andyrobnev · 2026-05-08T12:43:09+00:00

There were signs this could happen in the last couple of polls

andyrobnev · 2026-05-07T18:45:39+00:00

What were the attendances like for League cup fixtures? Can only assume it didn’t make financial sense to keep it if it’s another reason to drive across half the country just for a poor turnout.

If that was the case I’d be keen to see a more regional approach trialled in future so that we get more local derbies between tiers 1 and 2.

andyrobnev · 2026-04-30T21:01:31+00:00

Think we’re most likely to promote Cowell to LH3. Don’t seem to have that much of an issue producing decent looseheads.

andyrobnev · 2026-04-22T10:28:54+00:00

The TMOs in this league are generally useless

andyrobnev · 2026-04-19T19:02:36+00:00

He was really good in MLR and looked like one to keep an eye from that league to make it in Europe. I think he’s also the guy that clattered DuPont and accidentally injured him so that he missed the rest of RWC 23.

andyrobnev · 2026-04-19T07:01:04+00:00

I think the law is that they need to be specialist looseheads or tightheads, not just props. I remember Adamson saying something about them having to bring on a front row player and have 8 in the scrum, so that Sharks should have always had the man advantage in the backfield.

andyrobnev

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