'Crying shame' - Disbelief why McBryde not snapped up by Welsh region

It was announced on Monday that Robin McBryde’s association with Welsh rugby will end after the World Cup, as he is set to join European giants Leinster as their forwards coach.

McBryde earned the first of his 37 caps in 1994, and joined the coaching setup in 2006, where he has remained. Alongside Warren Gatland, he has won four Six Nations titles, including three Grand Slams, and is set to fill the void in Dublin left by John Fogarty, who is to team up with Ireland later this year.

With Wayne Pivac arriving after the World Cup, an overhaul of the coaching team was expected with Wales, but only today has McBryde’s next move been confirmed.

In light of this news, many Welsh fans have taken to Twitter to share their opinion on this departure. While many fans have been quick to mention how this will be a grave loss for Wales, what seems most noticeable is the disappointment that he is not remaining in Wales in some capacity.

Many fans had hoped that the former hooker would have returned to one of the Welsh regions, who would have benefited from the experience that he has amassed during his lengthy tenure with the national team. Instead, that experience will be lost, and the already powerful Leinster look to be the ones that benefit.

This is what the fans have said:

The Welsh regions seem to be in disarray at the moment and seriously underperforming. There seems to be a great disparity between the performance of the national and domestic rugby currently, and the success Wales has had has left many confused as to why the regions are way off the elite in Europe.

It is likely that only one Welsh team will be in the Champions Cup next season, which is an accurate reflection of the situation the domestic game is in. Any one of the four regions could have done with the services of McBryde, but as the fans have said, this looks to be one that has slipped through Welsh rugby’s fingers.