Newport Gwent Dragons head coach Darren Edwards says the club have offered fly-half Jason Tovey a new deal in a bid to ward off interest from Cardiff Blues. Tovey's Dragons contract expires at the end of the season and the 22-year-old's agent has confirmed he has "verbally agreed" a two-year deal at the Blues. Blues coach Gareth Baber has admitted an "interest" but the Dragons hope an improved deal will tempt Tovey to stay. "We've offered Jason a new contract, that is with his agency," said Edwards.

"That will be our final contract offer. We offer our contracts at market value and that's as much as we can do.

"The ball is in his court."

If Tovey departs the Dragons it will be a huge blow to the struggling Pro 12 side as the Rodney Parade region will lose captain Luke Charteris in the summer. Aled Brew's Dragons deal also expires at the end of the season and the Wales wing has also been linked with a move to France. So the Dragons have launched a bid to keep one of their prized assets at the Gwent region but their closest rivals are certainly keen on the former Wales under-20 international. "There is an interest," confirmed Blues coach Gareth Baber.

"Jason is a great player."

"I've coached Jason since he was 18 years of age and in terms of the skill level he has got, he'll be a great asset to us here at the Cardiff Blues."

"But he is a Dragons player at the moment and we'll see where we are at the end of March."

Tovey's proposed move to the Blues is sure to cast doubts over the future of fly-half Dan Parks, who retired from Scotland duty on Tuesday, at the Cardiff City Stadium. Parks, signed from Glasgow in 2010 , has a contract at the Blues until the end of the season but has been linked with a move away from south Wales. Experienced former Wales fly-half Ceri Sweeney has also been linked with a return to home-town club Pontypridd. It seems Tovey, the 2010 Young Welsh Player of the Year, is the man the Blues hope will create chances for their Wales international back-line of Jamie Roberts, Gavin Henson, Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert. Tovey's agent Jonathan Stuart, who works for Top Marque Sports management company, revealed to BBC Sport in January that his player has "verbally agreed" a "two-year deal" with the Blues.

Tovey, who was part of Wales' training camp ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, will also hope the move boosts his Wales chances as the versatile back wants to be considered as a long-term option at number 10 and compete with Rhys Priestland, James Hook and Dan Biggar. Tovey was called up by Wales for their 2008 summer tour to North America but was forced to withdraw as he was required to play for the Dragons in a Heineken Cup play-off. He also had to pull out of Wales' pre-2011 World Cup training camp in Poland because of injury but Tovey passed the 500-point mark for the Dragons in their pre-Christmas derby defeat to the Blues.

Jason Tovey is to leave Newport Gwent Dragons at the end of the season to join Welsh Pro 12 rivals Cardiff Blues. BBC Sport Wales understands the 22-year-old fly-half, whose Dragons contract expires in the summer, has signed a two-year deal at the Blues. Blues coach Gareth Baber has admitted an "interest" in the ex-Wales under-20 international while Dragons offered Tovey a new deal in a bid to keep him. But Tovey, a Rodney Parade academy graduate, has opted to exit Dragons. Tovey's departure is a blow to the struggling Dragons as the Newport-based region are set to lose a host of senior players this summer. Dragons will lose captain Luke Charteris in the summer while Aled Brew's Dragons deal also expires at the end of the season as the Wales wing has been linked with a move to France. Tovey's planned move to the Blues is sure to cast doubts over the future of fly-half Dan Parks, who retired from Scotland duty on Tuesday, at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Parks, signed from Glasgow in 2010 , has a contract at the Blues until the end of the season but has been linked with a move away from south Wales. The Blues' experienced former Wales fly-half Ceri Sweeney has also been linked with a return to home-town club Pontypridd. It seems Tovey, the 2010 Young Welsh Player of the Year, is the man the Blues hope will create chances for their Wales international back-line of Jamie Roberts, Gavin Henson, Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert. Tovey's agent Jonathan Stuart, who works for Top Marque Sports management company, revealed to BBC Sport in January that his player has "verbally agreed" a "two-year deal" with the Blues.

Tovey, who was part of Wales' training camp ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, will also hope the move boosts his Wales chances as the versatile back wants to be considered as a long-term option at number 10 and compete with Rhys Priestland, James Hook and Dan Biggar. Tovey, who made his senior Dragons debut in 2008 after graduating through their academy, was called up by Wales for their 2008 summer tour to North America but was forced to withdraw as he was required to play for the Dragons in a Heineken Cup play-off. He also had to pull out of Wales' pre-2011 World Cup training camp in Poland because of injury but Tovey passed the 500-point mark for the Dragons in their pre-Christmas derby defeat to the Blues.

Newport Gwent Dragons have been given a £10,000 suspended fine and are forced to forfeit their LV= Cup clash with Saracens after the game was postponed. The Welsh region called the game off as their Rodney Parade pitch was frozen. But the LV= Cup's organising committee said there were no suitable alternative arrangements so awarded the English champions the fixture by a 20-0 score. The Dragons, whose suspended fine is in place until next season's pool phase is completed, finished bottom of Pool D. In a statement, cup organisers said: "The LV organising committee accepted that there was no intention to gain any advantage by the pitch being unplayable and that preventative measures were put in place. "The LV Cup regulations are clear in that it is the home team's responsibility to ensure they can stage the fixture, as outlined in regulation 6.7."

The Dragons have been forced to postponed a number of fixtures in recent years due to frozen or waterlogged pitches, including successive home derbies against the Cardiff Blues in 2010 and 2011 .

The Newport-based club also had to move their Heineken Cup pool game with Wasps from their frozen Rodney Parade home to the nearby Cardiff City Stadium in December 2010 because the ground in the Welsh capital had undersoil heating.

Aled Brew is set to buck the recent trend of Rodney Parade departures by signing a new contract with Newport Gwent Dragons. The Wales wing, whose contract is up at the end of the season, had been linked with a move to Perpignan. But BBC Wales Sport understands that talks broke down following a change in the coaching set up at the French club. Brew has been overlooked for Wales' Six Nations squad but won his eighth cap in his sole appearance at the World Cup. The presence of Shane Williams and the emergence of George North, Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert has restricted his opportunities in the Wales jersey. Brew's decision to stay with the Dragons comes a day after fly-half Jason Tovey confirmed he was leaving the region at the end of the season to join Cardiff Blues. The Newport-based region will also be losing Luke Charteris in June, with the Wales lock heavily linked with a move to Perpignan.

Chartersis's move to the Catalan club is expected to be unaffected by the coaching shake-up at the club, which follows the sacking of Jacques Delmas as coach in November. Delmas, who took over in July, paid the price for a poor start to the season that saw Perpignan languishing in ninth place in France's Top 14 Championship after 10 games. Defeat to the Dragons in the Amlin Challenge Cup was deemed to be the final straw. Marc Delpoux, current coach of Bordeaux-Begles and a former Perpignan captain, will take over at the end of the season.

The pie man has a dilemma. How to step aside without looking like a f**king bellend

Bump



If the blues go into administration, I would imagine it'll either be the Cardiff athletic club or the WRU themselves who would (try to) pick up the pieces

The WRU will buy the Arms Park and lease it back to Cardiff. This would be win win win win: Thomas's loans would be repaid and he could happily skip into the sunset. The Athletic club would get a payday. Cardiff Blues would be able to start again debt free. The WRU would have a rental income every year and the chance to either complete the MS and/or build hospitality facilities on the rest of CAP.

Though that'd still leave the problem of getting out of the CCS deal

That would certainly be an interesting scenario.



CCFC promotion would probably help but that doesn't seem very likely at this point. Council intervention maybe . . . . at the end of the day CCFC wouldn't have had their lego stadium if it wasn't for the council giving(?)/cheaply selling the land.

Club rugby chat

What the fudge? This table is all crazy n shit

Can you expand? Or are you just surprised at how pants Newport are?

The Carmarthenshire clubs are doing well this year.

Not sure why they haven't used Carmarthen Quins' logo there.

Newport, Swansea, Cardiff all at the wrong end of the table Quins and Llandovery up the top end. Bit of a pity about Tonmawr. If someone had shown you that table at the beginning of the season don't tell me you wouldn't have been surprised.

Good to see Bridgend bouncing back well though.

Good to see Llandovery do well too. Its a bit of a weird season though because theres no relegation, everyone's already been told who is going down and who is staying up - although because this is Wales, it'll probably change again before the end of the season.

What do you think of the WRUs plans for the Premiership?

Fair enough in principle but inevitable that in practice there'd be irate men in blazers dragging it out.

they should bring back the heady days of the Merit table. Ah those were the days South Wales Police giving people a kicking on the pitch and not just off it. Everyone getting two wins a year thanks to Penarth.

they should bring back the heady days of the Merit table. Ah those were the days South Wales Police giving people a kicking on the pitch and not just off it. Everyone getting two wins a year thanks to Penarth.

Thats a point, they're not using Pontypool's either. Conspiracy theories have been built on less.

Actually not that surprising. Those three sides take on a lot of the regional academy players, which isn't the advantage you'd think it might be. It means they have to chop and change from week to week.

Chateris called up. Rees in contention. Roberts looks likely to be out. I would have rested Roberts even if he had been fit, anyway

Interesting selection dilemma for Gatland if Charteris is fit.

Ian Evans has done well, Ryan Jones has been immense and AWJ was alright. Where would Charteris fit in? Who's going to miss out?

On form, Ryan Jones is the first choice with a toss up between Two Dad's and Clarteris.

Do you reckon. Personally I don' see how Charteris can force himself back in. Evans has varied from competent to quite good all tournament. Ryan Jones has been immense whenever called upon, and AWJ has two weeks on Charteris.

Personally I'd go for the same locks as against England.

R Jones downfall is he can play in a number of positions.

Aye, I wouldn't have him starting at lock.

He should either cover 4,5,6,8 with Tips covering 7 or just cover the backrow with a proper lock on the bench.

I would like to see Gill again. He had a good game against the Irish.

I'm keeping everything crossed for Ianto, I hope we can keep him on the pitch for a whole season, he has some potential that lad, just a shame he's made of glass and twigs.

I think he will get the care once he moves to the scarlets.

We cannot risk Bomb or Melon.

Gill is a better scrummager for starters