Mike Ruddock says Wales should discuss its Challenge Cup options

Former Wales coach Mike Ruddock has welcomed Neath's call to be allowed to play in the European Challenge Cup.

Last week Neath secured their fourth successive Welsh Premiership title.

That saw Neath head coach Rowland Phillips call for Premiership teams to be allowed to represent Wales in the second tier European competition.

"It's a good concept that Rowland has put forward and certainly should be debated," Worcester director of rugby Ruddock told Scrum V on the Radio.

"The only question marks then are that semi-pro teams from all round Europe would be putting up the same argument.

"It's certainly something that needs to be debated far and wide and I'm sure the Welsh Rugby Union will take that on board and start to talk to the ERC [European Rugby Cup] along those lines."

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The lowest placed of the four Welsh regional sides can also claim a place at Europe's top table, but have to finish ahead of the lowest placed Irish province and then win a play-off against an Italian team.

That was achieved by the Newport Gwent Dragons last year, meaning this season Wales had four teams in the Heineken Cup and none in the Challenge Cup.

England, for example, enters five teams into the Challenge Cup, one of whom this season is Ruddock's Worcester Warriors side who face Newcastle Falcons in the semi-finals this weekend.

Wales is allowed to enter a similar number of teams but so far has chosen not to, given that there are four regional teams at the top level of the domestic game in the Principality compared to 12 in the Guinness Premiership.