Ashton Hewitt: Welsh rugby is 'doomed without progress', warns Dragons wing
- Published
Ashton Hewitt has scored 34 tries in 117 appearances for Dragons
Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA) chairman Ashton Hewitt says the Welsh game is "doomed" if it fails to progress following a turbulent season.
A financial crisis has taken hold of Welsh rugby during 2022-23, with little success on the field.
Financial uncertainty has seen players leaving Wales, while the regions' squads will be smaller next season.
"There is no other option than progress for Welsh rugby, otherwise it's pretty doomed," Hewitt said.
The Dragons wing has been at the heart of the players' efforts to resolve the financial situation, which included the national squad threatening to strike ahead of the Six Nations match against England.
A strike was averted and contracts have been offered after a long-term financial deal was struck between the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and four regions, but there are still issues to be sorted out.
The WRU has still to appoint a new chief executive, chair and board after the clubs gave the governing body the mandate for change at an annual general meeting in March.
On the field, no Welsh side finished in the top half of the United Rugby Championship (URC) for the second straight season.
Ospreys, Cardiff, Dragons and Scarlets are facing financial cutbacks following the recent renegotiation of their funding agreement with the WRU.
There will be a salary cap for 2023-24 of £5.2m for each of the four regions, which will be reduced to £4.5m the following season.
"It is a bit of a make-or-break for Welsh rugby in terms of the progress we can make and getting back to a point of where we are successful as regions and a national side," Hewitt told the Scrum V podcast.
"There is so much that is not in place yet with regards to WRU board make-up and a new chief executive. It is hard to definitively say it's going to be positive in the future because there is so much stuff to work out.
"In my eyes so much has gone wrong that has led to this situation we are in, so there are a lot of things to be sorted out.
"I am disappointed with how the leadership and management of this sport have let it get to this level when it is one of the biggest institutions in the country.
"It has not just been a 12-month problem. It has been building up and it has come to a head now and people have become aware of the issues that have been going on unseen over the last few years.
"I am optimistic now everybody is realising the right decisions have to be made."
There are some players who still do not have new contracts and face leaving Wales or giving up professional rugby.
"I won't chuck a number out there but I am surprised by how many players are not sorted and concerned about how many players won't get sorted," said Hewitt.
"There are players you would not expect that aren't secure."
Hewitt was one of the players out of contract this summer, but he has signed a two-year deal with Dragons.
"It is a huge relief with how late it went into the season," added Hewitt.
"Seeing players put their bodies on the line and get injured makes you realise how it can limit your opportunities and worth.
"You see boys now where they have not got deals on the table and you don't want to talk too openly about your own situation.
"They are colleagues, mates, people you have spent years with."
Hewitt says he feels guilty he could not engineer change quicker.
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"It's been difficult," he added.
"On the one hand I was an out-of-contract player going through the stuff myself and then also answering questions. I must have had the same conversation with every player in the squad every day for a long period.
"It was draining and tough, especially when you are not telling them what they want to hear and you don't have the information to hand.
"You feel as if you are letting them down."
The WRPA have now been invited to the meetings of the Professional Rugby Board (PRB), although they do not yet have voting rights.
"I would like to think the boys have a bigger voice now than they ever have thanks to the national squad and the regional boys who were ready to back it up," said Hewitt.
"We have that seat at the table now. It's not a voting seat, it's been one step at a time for us.
"The difference in having that information in real time makes the world of difference.
"We are being taken seriously now - there was a turning point through all of this. The WRPA have started to have and influence and gain respect from the PRB which has not always been the case."