MPs call for equal treatment for rugby regions

The WRU says it is having to respond to "seismic changes in the rugby landscape"

A group of MPs is urging the Welsh Rugby Union to pledge to treat all four of its regions equally, amid splits over WRU plans for a two-tier funding system.

Scarlets and Ospreys did not join Cardiff and Dragons in signing the new Professional Rugby Agreement.

After meeting WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and chief executive Abi Tierney on Friday, nine Welsh MPs issued a statement saying it was "imperative" no club is "handed an advantage at the expense of others".

WRU bosses have served a two-year notice on the current deal underpinning the professional game, but say they will "work closely" with all four clubs on a way forward with an "open mind" to "constructive and realistic proposals".

Wales has four professional regional rugby teams: Cardiff, Newport-based Dragons, the Ospreys in Swansea and the Scarlets in Llanelli.

The Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) deal runs out in 2027, but was due to be superseded by a new five-year deal that Ospreys and Scarlets have not signed.

The four regions were given a deadline to sign the new PRA by 8 May, but only WRU-owned Cardiff and privately-owned Dragons did so.

Last week, Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the governing body for assurances the takeover "will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs".

The four sides are expected to continue to exist in their current form until at least June 2027 when the PRA runs out.

The WRU posted a loss of £7.5m for the year ending June 2024.

The statement, issued by Labour MPs Stephen Kinnock, Tonia Antoniazzi, Torsten Bell, Nia Griffith, Henry Tufnell, Carolyn Harris and Chris Elmore as well as Plaid Cymru MPs Ann Davies and Ben Lake, says it is "imperative that the WRU treats each of Wales' professional clubs with respect and fairness and that no club is handed an advantage at the expense of others".

"Without our professional clubs everyone – schools, local rugby clubs and the wider community – suffers," the statement continues.

"The uncertainty that the WRU's actions and announcements have caused is leading to further destabilisation of Welsh rugby and everything which relies upon it.

"Both clubs have both assured us they remain committed to working collaboratively with the WRU to reach an agreement that gives fair treatment to all.

"We urge the WRU to return to the discussion table to provide the assurances of fairness and equality for all clubs that Ospreys and Scarlets have requested in the best interests of Welsh rugby."

What does the WRU say?

The Welsh Rugby Union said its latest position is represented in its statement on the agreement on 18 May, in which it said it will "work closely with all four professional clubs to agree the way forward beyond June 2027, with an open mind to all constructive and realistic proposals".

Within that statement, WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said the governing body was "continuing to talk to all four clubs about what the future will hold".

'We recognise this will be time of uncertainty and are committed to treating all the clubs, players, and supporters with respect and fairness throughout this process," she said.

"We acknowledge the continued commitment of each club to Welsh rugby and will formulate a new plan with the best interests of the whole game in Wales at the forefront of our thinking."

Ms Tierney added that the "continued aim is to build a resilient and world-class structure that will support Welsh rugby's next generation and beyond".

The WRU had continually insisted maintaining four professional sides on an equal footing was at the heart of its long-term strategy launched in 2024.

The governing body says that was the preference from the outset, but the system will not return to the model "given seismic changes in the rugby landscape".

The WRU now says it has taken "the difficult but necessary decision" to issue the formal two-year notice to terminate the current PRA agreement, in particular, to proceed with its debt refinancing with its bank NatWest.