'North no longer second-class'.

Byline: ROB GRIFFITHS

NORTH Wales rugby has been treated like a second class citizen for too long, a senior member of the Welsh Rugby Union has admitted.

But WRU head of performance and development Joe Lydon insists he is determined to bring the elite level of the to the rugby-starved region.

The former rugby league star, who is part of a group tasked with fulfilling that aim, said "I would agree that has been the case (that North Wales rugby has been treated like a second class citizen).

"You look at it very simply, the geographical spread of Wales and you see that two-thirds of the population is not reaching it's full potential.

"It provides North Wales with a reasonable gripe, but it also provides them with an excuse, and what I want to do is take away that excuse."

When asked what his ambition was for the region, he added: "To play the level within representative rugby as high as possible, and that is open ended.

"We want to maximise their potential, the potential for the game in North Wales, the number of people that play the game, the number of people who watch the game and also to maximise the facilities and try to do as much as we can."

FULL STORY - PAGE 39

CAPTION(S):

Welsh rugby bigwig Joe Lydon