Llanelli are this afternoon bidding to book their place in the Welsh Cup final for a record 16th time with their coach Gareth Jenkins warning that the competition is struggling to survive.

The cup was the focal point of the Welsh season during the 70s and the 80s, but it has fallen into decline and the teams who reach the final will have done so after only three rounds of matches.

Llanelli take on Ebbw Vale in the first of the back-to-back semi-finals at the Millennium Stadium today, followed by Cardiff's meeting with Pontypridd, but with prize money the only incentive for winning, the cup is a distinct third in the pecking order behind Europe and the Welsh-Scottish League.

"I am disappointed that people are trying to devalue the tournament," said Jenkins. "There is an argument that it would gain in prestige if the winners automatically qualified for the Heineken Cup, but that is a matter for those charged with the restructuring of our game.

"The Welsh Cup has played a huge part in the tradition and the romance of the Welsh game and it must not be allowed to die. I will be very proud if we beat Ebbw Vale and my players are taking the match as seriously as they will the Heineken Cup semi-final against Leicester later this month."

The restructuring to which Jenkins referred concerns the report of the working party chaired by the president of the Welsh Rugby Union, Sir Tasker Watkins, which will be debated by the governing body's 239 member clubs at a special meeting on May 26.

The report's recommendations are radical and include the creation of a professional executive to run the game on a daily basis with the 27-strong general committee reduced in number and convening only every three months.

The WRU's general committee, which has drawn up a more conservative plan for reform, has ordered a delegation to meet with the working party next week, with a view to reaching an agreement on the way ahead. That means persuading the group, which includes former internationals Gerald Davies, Gwyn Jones and D Ken Jones, to tone down their proposals, something Sir Tasker said would not happen.

"Saturday's international against Scotland last week was hugely disappointing," said Jenkins. "It showed we cannot lift ourselves as a team at the present time. The people responsible to the Welsh public are prepared to regenerate the spirit we need to move on to next year's World Cup."

Meanwhile, Toulouse yesterday signed the Narbonne and France tight-head prop Jean-Baptiste Poux for next season, fuelling speculation that their current incumbent in the position, Franck Tournaire, is on his way to Leicester, the club also being linked with Montferrand's Alessio Galasso.

The England full-back Matt Perry has extended his contract with Bath, vowing to stay even if the club, which faces Leeds today, is relegated from the Zurich Premiership.

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