Llanelli Take A Step Back From Standing Alone

By Lestyn
January 22 2003

Sounds coming out of the current meeting's between the club's suggest that Llanelli are re-considering their bid to stand alone. Also in the news is the Millennium stadium will feature in the RFU's bid for the 2007 World Cup. Trains will not run from Cardiff on the day of the England match.

Sounds coming out of the current meeting's between the Premiership club's suggest that Llanelli are re-considering standing alone in the Premiership club's plan for next season.

The move comes following worries over the amount of funding they would receive if they were to stand on their own. The other Premiership club's who choose to merge, such as Newport's proposed link up with Ebbw Vale.

The move throws Neath out into the cold, with the Scarlets most likely partners being Swansea. Neath who were set to clinch a deal with Bridgend, before the Raven's switched their attentions to Pontypridd on Monday. The All Blacks were talking to Swansea yesterday, but nothing appears to have been resolved. With Thursday's deadline approaching, unless something can be guaranteed it is looking like the Premiership clubs will have no plan to be put before an EGM next month.

England offer Stadium Sweetner

Along with Murrayfield, the Millennium stadium has now been included in the RFU's bid for the 2007 World Cup.

With France offering the Celtic nation's a slice of the Tournament in their bid, England made their effort to snatch votes from their Gaelic counterparts by promising to rent out the Millennium stadium for the bigger matches.

Unless We were to progress to the latter stages of the tournament, there would be no "home" games staged in Cardiff, as the organisers fear the bid would no longer be an English one, and would offer too much advantage to us playing on home soil.

Moffett Attacks Train Cancellation's
	Today it was official announced that Wales and Border trains would not be running trains from Cardiff on the day of our Six nations match with England. The Chief Executive of the tournament, John Feeham was obviously disappointed with the decision;
"We are immensely saddened that this position has been reached, but we have had no alternative other than to accept the unilateral decision of Wales & Borders Trains to cancel train services and thus to strand our fans. Their admission that they are so lacking in enterprise and competence that they are unable to meet this challenge is breathtaking. Thankfully, rugby supporters are made of rather stronger stuff, and we are confident that they will make appropriate alternative arrangements. "We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Hain, for his courageous attempts to bring sanity to bear. It is clear that he has left no stone unturned, and he must feel every bit as frustrated as we do." Our Chief was even more angry, David Moffett having a real go; "This decision reeks of amour propre, and clearly stems from Mr Gibbs' (MD Wales & Borders Trains) perceived slight at having not been party to the talks concerning the kick-off time. That he should have attempted to dignify this decision by hiding behind safety, even to the extent of drawing an analogy with the Hillsborough disaster, is disgraceful. It is implicit in his most recent statement that, unless we involve him in future discussions, he will do the same again. It should not be possible for someone to hold responsible bodies like the WRU, the BBC and the Six Nations Committee to ransom in this way, and I trust that all those in authority are taking full account of the damage which this man has done to the credibility and reputation of Wales. This has been a shameful incident." It seems to me a cowardly decision from the company, many English fan's will simply either have to stay over night or find other methods of transport across the border. Oh and by the way that very same company, are running a competition to win tickets to see Wales in the six nations..