ROSS HARRIES ON WORLD OF WELSH

OSS Harries has spent the past 14 years as a central figure in Welsh rugby broadcasting, becoming one of the most trusted voices in the sport.

- STEFFAN THOMAS

From presenting the BBC's flagship Scrum V programme to covering the Six Nations and Rugby World Cups, Harries has reported on some of the greatest moments in Welsh rugby - as well as its most turbulent chapters.

Yesterday, Harries fronted Premier Sports’ rugby coverage, and with Welsh rugby in arguably its most precarious state for years, he’s well placed to assess the current crisis and whether the game in Wales can emerge stronger on the other side.

Despite the national team’s decline and uncertainty surrounding the future of the regions, Harries is confident there are better times ahead for Welsh rugby.

“The one thing I always cling to is that we always produce good rugby players,” he said.

“I regularly travel to all the different territories the URC covers.

“There’s still a perception when you chat to people from Ireland, Scotland and South Africa that Wales still has a reputation for producing skilful and gifted rugby players.

“Take the rise of someone like Blair Murray.

“A cynic might say he’s come through the New Zealand system and he is a Welsh international but he represents that Welsh flair.

“If you were to create a Scarlets player in the lab you'd come up with Blair Murray.

“He's a player who plays head-up rugby, is a really skilful footballer and can play in multiple positions across the backline.

“If you look at the Scarlets backs there's tons of hope for the future there.

“When you consider not so long ago Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams were still in the squad but couldn't get a game because you've got Macs Page, Johnny Williams, Eddie James and Tom Rogers, who is having almost a renaissance, isn’t he, after his initial rise.

“So, I look at that Scarlets backline and think ‘jeez, those players are as skilful as anyone across the domestic leagues in Europe’

“We just need a few nasty, meaty forwards to get our national team back on track.