RWC 2023: Wales rugby boss defends result to play in New Zealand without leading players and free TV broadcast of autumn games
Welsh Rugby Union CEO Steve Phillips fought back against critics of the controversial Wales-New Zealand autumn test, revealing that the game will bring the governing body up to £4 million in revenue. Rugby Fans can buy Rugby World Cup Tickets from our website.
Wayne Pivac's team will play
a game against the Giants All Blacks in the Southern Hemisphere at Principality
Stadium, outside the designated match window of the World Rugby Tournament, on
October 30.
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| Wales will play a game against the Giants All Blacks in the Southern Hemisphere at Principality |
This means that Welsh coach Pivac will not have his British players, including Dan Bigger, Taulupe Faletau, Louis Rees-Zammit, and Callum Sheedy, and has led many people to question the value of this game.
But Phillips insisted that
after WRU's financial situation was destroyed by Covid-19, it was crucial to
help fund community and professional games.
"The first thing I want
to say is that this is nothing new," Phillips said when asked whether
Wales would be wise to play against the All Blacks without an English player.
“We completed the Fourth
International Fall Competition, as far as I can remember and so this has always
been part of our business plan, I remember a long time ago. This is absolutely
crucial because that's why the game is funded. It also resolves a lot of the
concerns we've heard from different regions.
"Then you put on your
business hat. It's already sold out, and we might be sold out again. That's
crucial for this year's financial contribution. It's great financially and
commercially, and it's great for our brand.
Phillips delivered a speech
after the WRU's annual general meeting and Gerald Davies' presidency was
extended for another year, allowing the Welsh greats to remain in that position
until the 2023 Rugby World Cup in
France.
Because some member clubs
showed up in the wrong location, the meeting started an hour late at Vale Resort.
Only 170 of the 320 clubs attended the AGM with the least attendance.
Phillips was questioned by
the participating members. They decided to remove the international autumn
matches between Wales and New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji, and Australia from
the free TV and put them behind the paywall. Amazon Prime won English and Welsh
law.
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| Welsh greats to remain in that position until the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France |
Phillips defended this move, insisting it was in the interest of the game. This is happening within the Group of Six. This is not just Wales' idea, but everyone's idea.
I'm very pleased that they
have recognized the Welsh language through their investment in Welsh. This
week, the controversial 60 rules of Welsh rugby have once again become the
subject of debate.
Wales Head coach Wayne Pivac
chose Thomas Young of the Hornets as his fall line-up, although the England
wing only played 3 times, which is far short of the 60 required appearances in
the Gallagher Premiership. At the same time, it also represents Wales.
The WRU's Professional Rugby
Board (PRB) and next Rugby World Cup
have granted Pivac a special exemption from selecting Yang as he will join the
Cardiff rugby team next season and will compete with other back players Justin
Tipuric, Josh Navidi, and James Botham who, due to an injury sidelined.
Phillips supported Pivac's
decision to change the ruling and insisted that the 60-cap law worked well.
Phillips predicts that more exiles will be attracted to return to Wales in the
future.
"Based on what we've
seen recently, it's not just Thomas. People like Thomas Francis show it works.
Wayne's case is about the special circumstances of Justin and Josh's injuries,
which is the right thing to do. Sometimes we are accused of being too rigid,
but all our policies are reviewed every year by PRB.
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