worst civil air disaster. The second golden era 1969-1979 The zenith of Welsh rugby was the 1970s, when Wales had players such as Barry John, Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett and JPR Williams. Wales won four consecutive Triple Crowns. The strong Pontypool front row of Graham Price, Bobby Windsor & Charlie Faulkner were all manual workers, and Robin McBryde was formerly the holder of the title of Wales's strongest man. Gareth Edwards was voted the greatest player of all time in a players poll in 2003 and scored what is widely regarded as the greatest try of all time in 1973 for the Barbarians against New Zealand. The start of the professional era: 1980 to 2012 The 1980s and early '90s were a difficult time for Welsh rugby union when the team suffered many defeats. Harsh economic times in the eighties meant that players such as Jonathan Davies and Scott Gibbs were tempted to 'go North' to play professional rugby league in order to earn a living. In 2003/4 the Welsh Rugby Union voted to create five regions to play in the Celtic League (now the United Rugby Championship) and represent Wales in European competition. This soon became four when the Celtic Warriors were liquidated after just one season. The WRU have announced their hopes of developing a fifth region in North Wales in the long run; the team at the centre of this plan is now known as RGC 1404. In recent years, Welsh Premier Division and Welsh Championship club rugby has faced increased financial hardship, with historic clubs at threat. Premiership side Neath RFC had received a now-resolved winding up petition from HM Revenue and Customs, while Championship team Pontypool RFC have had to fund-raise from supporters to remain at their ground. Regional Rugby and future reforms: 2013 to present Created by David Moffat in 2003, Welsh rugby follows a region system with a top tier composed of four club regions. This arrangement has however faced a number of funding issues in recent years. The regions currently operate on a 2009 Participation Agreement which expires in 2019. The regions in 2013 protested against a new agreement, as they felt it did not offer any funding commitments or clarity regarding competitions such as the Heineken Cup. The Union retorted that funding would increase, but that regions would need to commit to the framework or risk losing their revenue streams. Project