By Lestyn
July 29 2004

Terry Cobner has opted to step down from his role as the WRU's director of rugby after eight years.

Whether or not Cobner, who was capped 19 times as player during the late 1980's will be missed is highly debatable.

Cobner was the man responsible for implementing the highly successful Dragons Rugby Trust scheme, and is held largely responsible for overseeing most of the success Wales have encountered recently at age grade levels.

However failure to see that success followed through at international level can be partly attributed to Cobner's lack of significant influence at board room level, with his role being made fairly irrelevant in some aspects due to the overriding power the WRU committee had over him.

Famously the WRU dispatched Cobner to Dublin to do their dirty work, and axe Graham Henry following defeat to Ireland in 2002.

His report into professional rugby in Wales was widely disregarded, until David Moffett back his vision of four provinces, with one based in North Wales. You cannot say Cobner who was a Wales selector during the 1980's lacked vision.