:02:10. > :02:15.season. There was much in the way of festive goodwill between the unions
:02:16. > :02:23.and the union at the moment. -- the region and the unions at the moment.
:02:24. > :02:29.We will get our guests thoughts on the crisis dominating the headlines.
:02:30. > :02:32.We start with matters on the pitch. First between the Blues and the
:02:33. > :02:42.Ospreys. They returned to Cardiff knowing
:02:43. > :02:48.they had not lost to the Blues in the league for three years. Phil
:02:49. > :04:08.Davis made four changes. Hobbs retained
:04:09. > :04:47.Hobbs, Dacey. Halfpenny transferring. In the end Cook just
:04:48. > :06:09.running out of space on the left flank.
:06:10. > :06:37.Drifts it round inside that far up right and Leigh Halfpenny on the
:06:38. > :06:47.mark at the beginning of the second half.
:06:48. > :08:03.Tipuric, a far better position. That's a great position.
:08:04. > :08:10.Halfpenny brings the Blues back within a kick.
:08:11. > :08:19.There was some strong wind. We felt we should have scored more points in
:08:20. > :08:24.the first half. In the Christmas period - with great crowds. Like you
:08:25. > :08:28.see in a Derby, a great battle. To come away with four points is great.
:08:29. > :08:33.We didn't finish the chances off in the second half. We didn't play in
:08:34. > :08:38.the 22 as much as I would have liked. The effort the players put in
:08:39. > :08:45.was fantastic. We move on now. The first of the Christmas Derbies, a
:08:46. > :08:47.good one. Plenty of enterprise from bothsides. Ospreys the worthy
:08:48. > :08:50.winners bothsides. Ospreys the worthy
:08:51. > :10:19.were. The Blues have improved from the ball. Pretorius over the ball.
:10:20. > :10:24.Jones making a nuisance of himself. Entitled to do so. It takes three
:10:25. > :10:29.Ospreys players to come in and clear the ball. Nothing from that for the
:10:30. > :10:33.Ospreys. Hewitt over the ball. Sam Hobbs, the captain, he's not happy
:10:34. > :10:38.to let anything easy for the Ospreys. Pressurising every ruck,
:10:39. > :10:44.allows the defence on the front foot, forcing the Ospreys back. Alun
:10:45. > :10:48.Wyn Jones with a carry. The Blues not happy to drive Alun Wyn Jones
:10:49. > :11:57.back. Cuthbert straight back to his feet.
:11:58. > :11:59.back. Cuthbert straight back to his is a political point, but the teams
:12:00. > :12:03.would be unfamiliar, or the people who play would be unfamiliar to
:12:04. > :12:09.people outside Wales. There have been a lot of changes in these
:12:10. > :12:13.teams. What I loved about it though, because I am a traditionalist, is
:12:14. > :12:19.the Blues played in blue and black and the Ospreys played in white.
:12:20. > :12:26.Most going out now look like Coe the Clown.
:12:27. > :12:31.-- Coco The Clown. There was talk in the last few monthses about a link
:12:32. > :12:37.up between the regions and the Aviva Premiership about this mess that
:12:38. > :12:41.Welsh rugby finds itself in. The regions and the unions are in
:12:42. > :13:54.loggerheads. The clock is ticking. There is a week
:13:55. > :13:59.loggerheads. The clock is ticking. lost in the Kay yoss. It is depress
:14:00. > :14:04.-- chaos. It is depressing for the fans. The sooner they get together
:14:05. > :14:10.and sort it out, the better. They are a disgrace the way they do this
:14:11. > :14:14.to the regions. Regional rugby is secure, not only for the foreseeable
:14:15. > :14:19.future but for the years to come. The regions and the English clubs
:14:20. > :14:22.have spent the last few months courting each other. For the
:14:23. > :14:27.English, it is a means of plugging gaps in their O'Callaghan len der
:14:28. > :14:31.after they withdraw -- in their calendar after they withdraw from
:14:32. > :14:38.Europe. For the Welsh it is whether they have the appetite to rebel. It
:14:39. > :14:40.could spend the -- spell the end of the professional game in Wales. It
:14:41. > :15:52.could end up the professional game in Wales. It
:15:53. > :15:57.issues and how we resolve those. I firmly believe that the answers are
:15:58. > :16:00.there. We have heard in recent weeks the regions have no intention of
:16:01. > :16:04.signing this agreement because it offers no better terms and
:16:05. > :16:10.conditions than when it was first signed in 2009. Is there money in
:16:11. > :16:15.the union that can be redistributed to the regional game? First of all,
:16:16. > :16:20.why would they sign an agreement that holds them to the sign
:16:21. > :16:24.situation that they currently exist in? Which all parties know doesn't
:16:25. > :16:30.work. It would seem madness to do that. While the bickering continues,
:16:31. > :16:33.the player drain will gather pace. Six current internationals are out
:16:34. > :16:36.of contract at the end of the season, including the Lions' captain
:16:37. > :16:42.of contract at the end of the and the Lions' Man of the Series.
:16:43. > :17:49.of contract at the end of the prized assets. It is
:17:50. > :17:51.of contract at the end of the developed players. It's been a huge
:17:52. > :17:56.success. It really has. We just have to look at the success of the
:17:57. > :18:00.national team, the success of the under-20s in recent years and look
:18:01. > :18:04.at the amount of players we have coming through the system, to the
:18:05. > :18:08.regional exception. It works exceptionally well. It is those
:18:09. > :18:11.players and fans who ultimately drive the game. Without the fans,
:18:12. > :18:16.rugby will wither on the vine. Already there are signs that a
:18:17. > :18:21.generation are looking elsewhere for their sporting nurrishment.
:18:22. > :18:26.Football's Premier League is proving an enticing alternative. There are a
:18:27. > :18:32.lot of people around Swansea who used to watch rugby, used to play
:18:33. > :18:34.rugby, but now play football. It is a danger. While all this bickering
:18:35. > :18:37.goes on at a danger. While all this bickering
:18:38. > :19:56.support. Some of these issues -- the Welsh union have done in many
:19:57. > :20:01.areas. You mentioned the theory that perhaps they want to see the region
:20:02. > :20:05.fail so they can exert central control - is that how you see
:20:06. > :20:08.things? I don't think anything has changed, nothing has changed from
:20:09. > :20:11.the union perspective. They have been very quiet on this issue. I
:20:12. > :20:17.think the union will turn around to that argument and say, hang on, on
:20:18. > :20:20.one hand we have very successful Wales team. We had a number in the
:20:21. > :20:26.Lions - the talent is there. If we can get the best out of these
:20:27. > :20:29.players, why can't the regions? Why can't they get people through the
:20:30. > :20:35.door? When you turn around to us and ask us for more money - the union,
:20:36. > :21:45.they will say, hang on why? We have not spent
:21:46. > :21:48.they will say, hang on why? We have should have had for an independent
:21:49. > :21:54.coexistence with them. Would the regions have done a better job of
:21:55. > :21:58.that. They say they woulden perhaps strike better -- would perhaps
:21:59. > :22:02.strike better TV deals. I don't see they are not in control of many of
:22:03. > :22:06.those things. If you fight for your own money you fight harder than for
:22:07. > :22:11.anybody else's money. That is a fair point. Ultimately, I think, so,
:22:12. > :22:15.whatever happens now will be a short-term compromise, I can see
:22:16. > :22:20.turning into - I think if you look at this on a philosophical basis, I
:22:21. > :22:26.think that the Welsh model of rugby is more suited and closer to the
:22:27. > :22:30.Irish model, the Scottish model, New Zealand model. Basically only France
:22:31. > :22:33.and England have a system where there are private ben
:22:34. > :22:34.and England have a system where have funded the game
:22:35. > :22:35.and England have a system where professional rugby so far.
:22:36. > :23:46.communities. They choose to stay with clubs and they choose to stay
:23:47. > :23:50.with local passions. And in my opinion, if you had central control,
:23:51. > :23:54.I don't think you can ever had Newport playing with 15 blokes from
:23:55. > :23:58.Newport - of course you can't. Dit toe Cardiff and Swansea. I think
:23:59. > :24:02.there should be a local identification, with local sponsors,
:24:03. > :24:07.fans and community, which you won't get. You play for your local village
:24:08. > :24:12.team and you play for it and you dream of playing for Wales. I think
:24:13. > :24:16.and I think - I would be amazed if there was any rugby player who grew
:24:17. > :24:21.up in Wales who didn't feel that way. Put the national team at the
:24:22. > :24:25.enter of what every ambitious player wants to do. The only reason they
:24:26. > :24:29.they want to play in Wales for they want to play in Wales for
:24:30. > :25:40.Wales. If that is where you are they want to play in Wales for
:25:41. > :25:46.that will be. The players and coaches, it must be an unsettled
:25:47. > :25:51.time for them. Players have to be 100% focussed on what they are
:25:52. > :25:55.about. It is a massive distraction. The sooner it is sorted, the better.
:25:56. > :25:59.I don't know when it will be, that is the problem. Deadlines are
:26:00. > :26:05.getting closer and closer. I don't know personally what the solution
:26:06. > :26:08.would be. It seemed a few weeks ago, other Wales regions may have had
:26:09. > :26:13.bargaining power, when it looked like a solution might be on the
:26:14. > :26:18.cards, from what I have seen that is becoming a distant dream now. When
:26:19. > :26:22.you look at media, social media, everybody who writes in and you
:26:23. > :26:26.meet, they would love it to happen. That goes for
:26:27. > :27:38.meet, they would love it to happen. England have people with great
:27:39. > :27:42.meet, they would love it to happen. necessary? If everybody on every
:27:43. > :27:46.side stops seeing it as a power play and sees it as something to put
:27:47. > :27:52.rugby, the national game here and massive games elsewhere back on an
:27:53. > :27:56.even keel, things are not all lost. Until that goes, we've had it.
:27:57. > :28:00.Europe has to be the first thing to be sorted. If the French get their
:28:01. > :28:03.backsides out of the way, there is a chance that can happen. You can have
:28:04. > :28:11.a great European tournament where you don't have to go to connach with
:28:12. > :28:16.respect and don't -- Connacht, with respect. Then you can have something
:28:17. > :28:19.to play. Then you make it so that Ireland can play there - all their
:28:20. > :28:26.teams in the Heineken cup and rest Ireland can play there - all their
:28:27. > :29:35.them for the next match. There are personalities
:29:36. > :31:44.The Scarlets and Munster rang the changes with the visitors making
:31:45. > :31:49.nine in all to the side that lost to Clermont in Europe.
:31:50. > :31:54.Munster hoped to keep their lead at the top, but were weary of the team
:31:55. > :31:57.who beat them at this ground last season.
:31:58. > :32:09.Taken by Duncan Casey, illegally. You can't put your hands in there.
:32:10. > :32:14.Thomas - half a dozen metres into Munster's half. Wind-assisted. First
:32:15. > :33:34.A penalty coming for Munster. struck by the
:33:35. > :33:43.A penalty coming for Munster. It is right under underneath them.
:33:44. > :33:51.If they win this game, it will be a miracle. 15 phases they've gone
:33:52. > :33:56.through and still they build Lloyd Williams - a gap is there -- for
:33:57. > :34:00.Duncan Williams. A gap is there. Kristian Philips manages to hold him
:34:01. > :34:06.up just enough. Just short of the line. A desperate tackle by. A
:34:07. > :34:10.up just enough. Just short of the try-saving one. Can they still get
:34:11. > :34:15.their Munster desperate defence of the Scarlets on their line? They
:34:16. > :34:17.expect the break and the break came from the scrum-half. Incredible
:34:18. > :35:32.pressure! They had a south-westerly p wind.
:35:33. > :35:38.Wardle went past the defence to put Dan Evans in after six minutes. The
:35:39. > :35:44.Dragons might have had a second. Wardle with a home attack and
:35:45. > :35:47.finding Harris, who tip toed the touch line before he could offload
:35:48. > :35:55.the scoring pass. With the rain bouncing down, the Dragons still
:35:56. > :36:05.held an 11-6 lead after 76 minutes. Dan Parks struck for Connacht.
:36:06. > :36:07.Inevitably, in injury time, Parks tripped over a goal to give his side
:36:08. > :36:12.victory, which hauled them tripped over a goal to give his side
:36:13. > :37:25.bottom of the table. A couple of other results for you -
:37:26. > :39:55.It was the half-way point between World Cups which might have made it
:39:56. > :40:00.a bit unexceptional, except Wales came on the back on seven straight
:40:01. > :40:05.defeats. England would be going for a Grand Slam. New Zealand would
:40:06. > :40:07.strive to go a whole year unbeaten. There was lots at stake. And there
:40:08. > :41:23.were lots of good tries. Wales have to be sharp - to Scot
:41:24. > :42:06.Williams. To Leigh Halfpenny. Wales have to be sharp - to Scot
:42:07. > :43:18.Williams. Williams in field. A wonderful try.
:43:19. > :43:28.Williams. Williams in field. A tackle. Warburton on his feet.
:43:29. > :43:36.Leigh Halfpenny... Tipuric. Tipuric, still going!
:43:37. > :43:41.Wales are storming to the title! So, the top try - the ultimate test
:43:42. > :43:47.of composure. Ireland against New Zealand in the first quarter had
:43:48. > :43:53.exposed the All Blacks to new levels of stress and now, with under 30
:43:54. > :43:58.seconds remaining, the All Blacks had to deliver their answer.
:43:59. > :45:20.Away comes Nanu.