WRU to propose halving Welsh professional teams to two

The Welsh Rugby Union has insisted the domestic game in its current form is unsustainable

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) will propose reducing the number of professional sides in Wales from four to two.

Welsh rugby's governing body has produced a radical plan which includes its "optimal solution" for transforming the struggling game.

The WRU is expected to announce its preferred proposals this week which will include two organisations each having a men's and women's side.

There will then be a six-week consultation period where the Union will present its favoured option to stakeholders before a final decision on the plans, which is expected to be made by the end of October.

Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets are currently the four professional men's sides in Wales, but the WRU is suggesting the number of teams is halved.

The news comes despite the fact that Ospreys have plans to move into a revamped stadium at St Helen's in Swansea for the 2026-27 season, while Scarlets have recently unveiled new investors.

Dragons said this week that elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent, while Cardiff are currently owned by the WRU.

New director of rugby Dave Reddin, chief executive Abi Tierney and chair Richard Collier-Keywood have been involved in the plan.

It remains unclear whether the two future sides being proposed will be new entities or existing teams.

The WRU has, though, proposed that there will be two organisations which will each have a men's and women's team.

There could be 50 players in each men's squad with a budget of £7.8m each, while the women's squads will have 40 players apiece.

The WRU says there will be significantly elevated funding for each men's squad, which would facilitate a radically different profile of talent and support.

The Union says the two squads would feature predominantly Welsh-qualified players, while there would be a rethink on non-Welsh qualified players.

The WRU would fund the two men's and two women's teams, all of which would be operated under licences, with the governing body giving any owners or investors responsibility for all commercial operations.

Phase one would involve the move of the two sides, men's and women's, operating on two sites.

There will also be a transition to contracting of players and staff within central national academies.

Phase two would involve the clubs moving to training at one site which will be known as a national campus.

This will be home to 400 people, including men's and women's national staff, professional and clubs staff and national academies. The men's and women's academies will be centralised.

The proposals include improving the standard of the Super Rygbi Cymru competition, which is the current level below the men's fully professional game.

There is also a pledge to establish a senior women's domestic competition, with an acceptance there is a current lack of high-quality club rugby below the Celtic Challenge, where Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder compete.

How did we get here?

The WRU said in July the current system was failing and unsustainable and that it was looking at a more radical strategy.

This came after Wales' men's side had lost a record-breaking 18 international matches in a row and slipped to 12th in the world rankings, while the four regions have struggled in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and European competitions.

The WRU and regions had been trying to get a new deal over the line after months of negotiation.

A glimmer of hope was offered in February when the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) was agreed in principle, with all parties ready to sign in early April.

The process was derailed when Cardiff went into temporary administration later that month and were taken over by the WRU which, in the process, absorbed £9m of club debts.

Scarlets and Ospreys wanted clarity from the WRU but said "key issues" were not resolved regarding concerns about favouritism towards Cardiff.

Dragons and Cardiff put pen to paper, while Scarlets and Ospreys did not sign the PRA in May.

The WRU responded by saying it did not intend to continue equally funding four professional teams in the men's game, paving the way for the potential of a reduction in sides.

The number of professional sides in Wales was most recently reduced in 2004, when the Celtic Warriors ceased to exist after only one year of competing.

That came after Welsh rugby had switched from the professional club model to a regional system of five sides in 2003.