Welsh rugby's 239 member clubs will get a chance to alter the image and change the composition of the national game forever at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The meeting comes less than 24 hours after tomorrow's RBS 6 Nations Championship showdown with England in Cardiff and will propose savage changes to a domestic structure that has failed its players since the game was declared open.

WRU group chief executive David Moffett will put before the member clubs a plan to introduce four regional teams in Wales to compete in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup, with a second tier of the current leading clubs like Pontypridd, Cardiff and Llanelli, playing on a semi-professional basis between themselves.

After months of negotiation, squabbling, proposed change and counter-changes from those who felt they would be compromised by any such radical alteration, the time has finally come to see if Welsh rugby has the bottle to make these much-needed changes.

``It is a crucial time for the game in Wales,'' said Moffett.

``We all recognise that change is needed but it's a case of finding a way ahead that people will support.

``It was always going to come to a vote like this because the clubs were unable to sort matters out between themselves.

``They were given time in which to suggest their own way ahead, but they couldn't agree, so we had no choice but to agree on a proposal ourselves and then put that before all our clubs. Now, they will get their chance to vote.''

The steady decline of the Welsh clubs in Europe - Llanelli and Pontypridd being the notable exceptions - and the parlous state of the international game has fuelled the necessity for change.

However, with so much riding on the decision and its subsequent delivery, the leading clubs are hoping that, once again, hasty decisions are not made by those clubs who will not be directly affected.

Some fear that by moving to regional franchises, the sovereignty of the clubs and the respective image of the national game will be lost forever.

Llanelli and Cardiff's answer is to stand alone as individual entities whilst others around them merge.

In contrast, Newport, Ebbw Vale, Neath and Bridgend are amongst those happy to see the current top nine teams merge into four super sides - based on the Irish template.

``I am sure there will be plenty of debate and plenty of opinions expressed,'' said the Llanelli chief executive Stuart Gallacher, whose club have been accused of holding up progress in recent weeks.

``We have made our stance clear and there is no change in that. Now, we have to wait to see what is said and what is actually proposed.''

It promises to be a stormy Sunday for all concerned.