Sam Warburton: WRU must invest in elite game not grassroots, says ex-Wales captain

Former Wales captain Sam Warburton says the Welsh Rugby Union should not prioritise spending on grassroots to solve the problems of Welsh rugby.

Instead the ex-British and Irish Lions captain says the solution lies in investment in the professional game.

Wales were winless in the 2024 Six Nations and their four regions have struggled in recent years.

"I just think you've got to invest more in the pro game and then the interest will naturally come," said Warburton.

The WRU is currently undertaking a structural review of the game in Wales which chief executive Abi Tierney said would "not only cover the elite men's and women's game" but would be "an all-encompassing strategy that covers the community and regional game".

Tierney, who took up her role in January, has promised the results will be announced by June.

There have been concerns over a fall in the number of players and teams at grassroots level, but Warburton does not believe that should be the WRU's financial priority.

"A lot of people won't like this but I just think it's true," he told the BBC's Rugby Union Daily podcast.

"It's the easy thing to say - they just moan about the fact there's grassroots clubs who can't put kids out and can't make teams - 'oh the WRU need to invest more in grassroots'. I completely disagree.

"Let's go Premier League football, if you look at them as businesses. If you said to Arsenal, where is the majority of your budget spent, it's on the first team. If you actually looked at their income it's on the first team. And yes of course you do community, of course you support grassroots.

"Everyone back home just goes 'oh we need more grassroots, we need to increase the pyramid'. No, you increase the pyramid by having something aspirational like kids want to chase.

"Having a successful national team, having successful regions, will generate much more interest in the game. So you need to invest money into your national team, into your regions."

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Wales have lost 12 of the past 13 Six Nations matches and Scarlets were the last region to win league silverware, lifting the Pro14 title in 2017, with Cardiff winning Europe's Challenge Cup the following year.

Ospreys are the only Welsh professional side to beat a non-Welsh team in 2024 as the regions have struggled with reduced finances and questions over whether the country can sustain four teams in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

"There's talk about going down to three regions... like just keep chopping off arms," said Warburton.

"What if three doesn't work? It's like we'll eventually end up with two regions then. You don't as a business just keep chopping off, you need to try and figure out a solution.

"What does good look like? Why can't we have a region up north and declare we're going to have a region up north who can play in the URC in five years? There's 900,000 people up there who feel very neglected.

"The grassroots thing I just don't buy because I live in a place called Rhiwbina, it is rocking down there on a Sunday because the people are willing to give up their free time to help kids play rugby. They've got loads of mini sections, loads of age groups, they do all that stuff.

"So I think it's lazy just to think every club, we'll give them an extra £10,000 so they can buy some tackle shields. No. The kids aren't just going to turn up for training because we've got some brand new shiny tackle shields.

"You need to invest in a product that's going to make everyone excited about the game in Wales and that's the professional game. Everyone thinks bottom to the top, I actually think you reverse it, you focus on the top and then everything naturally infiltrates.

"When England won the World Cup in 2003 I bet you rugby was rocking in rugby clubs for the six months after that, so focus on the top product and naturally everything else should follow."