Adrian Hadley, a member of the Valleys Rugby advisory board said: “It would appear that the recent announcement from the Blues to take matches to Sardis Road is a knee-jerk reaction following months of campaigning from Valleys Rugby to bring back professional rugby to the Valleys region.

“This announcement is nine years too late and is only coming on the back of our campaign. The fact that they are suggesting that only LV games will be played at the ground proves that it is only a token gesture.

“Our pilot proposal to bring professional rugby back to the Valleys has clearly highlighted that the Blues is not doing anything to engage the Valleys supporters with its region. However the fact is that it is unlikely Valleys rugby supporters will ever truly embrace a Cardiff team. It is our vision to create a ‘People’s Region’ where community ownership and engagement is key to its vision.

“The Welsh valleys, the heartland fanbase of the game, are disconnected with the current regional structure and we can’t see how playing a few token games at Sardis Road is going to change that.”