Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s lead Senedd candidate in Sir Gaerfyrddin
As a life-long fan, the Scarlets have always held a place close to my heart. Like many in Carmarthenshire, the club means a lot to me. Since the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced its plans to restructure professional rugby last year and potentially put the Scarlets in danger, the future of the club has always been on my mind. It was especially present when the Scarlets took on Cardiff at Parc y Scarlets last Saturday.
After all, this is the legendary club that beat the All Blacks in 1972 and made heroes. That was Llanelli; now called the Scarlets. The club’s history is in our DNA as supporters, and its future must be protected.
On Monday 13 April, the WRU held an Extraordinary General Meeting in Cardiff, after more than 50 member clubs demanded accountability over the union’s plans. This chaos only adds to the uncertainty Scarlets fans feel, along with the fans of the other regions.
I’m also a fan of club rugby in all its forms. The Ospreys are our neighbours and rivals and that rivalry is part of what makes the game here so special. The WRU should not be forcing west Wales to choose between its clubs. That is not a solution.
As I campaign to represent my community in the Senedd once again, I feel a professional duty to stand up for the Scarlets. With that comes a heavy sense of responsibility to the generations who follow us to preserve professional top-level rugby in Llanelli.
The Scarlets contribute £17 million to our local economy, support approximately 400 jobs, and have produced 34% of Welsh internationals in the past decade including some rugby greats like Phil Bennett, Ray Gravell, Delme Thomas, Stephen Jones and more recently Ken Owens for example, were everybody’s heroes.
I’m proud that I, Adam Price and Ann Davies MP have been prominent in the political response in west Wales throughout this process. We formally wrote a submission to the WRU’s consultation on restructuring last year, arguing that threatening the future of professional rugby in its heartland of west Wales would not solve the WRU’s own mismanagement of professional rugby in Wales over many years. That position is unwavering.
The WRU’s incoming leadership must start afresh: scrap the plans and start again, engage with the alternatives, and ensure the long-term survival of professional rugby in west Wales.
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