Rugby legend Dale ‘Chief’ McIntosh has called on the government to step in to help struggling Welsh rugby clubs cope with soaring energy costs.

Speaking on the Beyond the Breakdown podcast, hosted by former Welsh international Richard Parks, McIntosh highlighted the difficulties faced by grassroots clubs, including Brecon RFC, where he coached for three years between 2022 and 2025.

“I’ve been in Brecon and we’ve had to move training because we can’t afford the lights, and we can’t afford the energy bills for the showers,” McIntosh said. “We’ve had to put showers on timers on training days and match days because we can only have the showers warm for that window. It is sad. And a lot of clubs are going under. I know up the Bwl (Ynysybwl) we’re struggling big time.”

McIntosh, who made 454 appearances for Pontypridd RFC after moving to Wales from New Zealand and earned two caps for his adopted country, has had a long coaching career across Wales and abroad. He has coached at Brecon RFC, Pontypool RFC, the Cardiff Blues, and even served as Namibia’s defence coach during the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

“The economy’s going through…it’s tough for clubs nowadays and we can’t keep going back to the WRU and asking for money,” he said. “What I would like is probably the government to step in and get some kind of discount for these energy bills, because they’re the cripplers at the moment.”

Rising costs are forcing clubs across Wales to take drastic measures. From putting showers on timers to limiting lighting and heating, small clubs like Ynysybwl, Pontypridd, and Bridgend are struggling to keep their doors open. On episode three of the podcast, Paul James, clubhouse manager at Neath RFC, described bills reaching £4,000 a month and said clubs must “have events constantly…to thrive to survive.”

McIntosh’s call follows initiatives elsewhere in Welsh rugby, such as Bridgend Ravens’ plan to become Wales’ first carbon-neutral rugby team. Head Coach Scott Baldwin, another former international, is working with renewable energy company Electrify Cymru to reduce the club’s energy costs while embracing sustainable practices.

Richard Parks, host of the new Beyond the Breakdown podcast, said: “So many of us are worried about the future of Welsh Rugby. There's so much noise around the game in Wales at the moment, yet nobody seems to be talking enough about what makes our game tick, our clubs. Without our local rugby clubs, there is no game in Wales. At the heart of our communities so often sit our clubs, places where we go to play, celebrate, mourn, or just be there for one another.

“Yet I've spoken to clubs that are struggling to heat their showers, because they can't afford their energy bills, and extreme weather is causing games to be called off up and down Wales.

“Every club I visit is powered by incredible humans, mostly given their time voluntarily, that's one constant in our game....the people and passion underpinning it. Whilst I have concerns, I'm also hopeful as I see the appetite to find new ways of sustaining the game.”

Watch the full episode with Dale ‘Chief’ McIntosh here.