Welsh rugby's ins and outs for 2025-26 season

New signings for the 2025-26 include Taine Basham (Cardiff), Dillon Lewis (Dragons), Ross Moriarty (Ospreys) and Joe Hawkins (Scarlets)

Uncertainty remains over the future of Welsh professional rugby but four sides have been shaping their squads for the 2025-26 United Rugby Championship (URC).

The season starts at the end of September and preparations are already well under way, with plenty of new recruits settling in.

They have arrived in turbulent times, with a big decision expected by October from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) on whether there will be a reduction in regional teams from four to three or even two.

Plenty of debuts will have been made by then and BBC Sport Wales rounds up the summer moves that have been agreed.

Cardiff

Cardiff flanker Taine Basham has played 17 internationals for Wales

In: Dynamic back-row forward Taine Basham has left Dragons and will hope to profit from a change of environment to get back to the form that saw him starring for Wales in the 2021 autumn internationals.

Lock George Nott, who can also slot in at blindside, has followed him to the Arms Park from Rodney Parade.

Cardiff have brought in Ioan Lloyd from Scarlets to tussle with his former Bristol team-mate Callum Sheedy for the 10 jersey.

Scotland prop Javan Sebastian, who came through at Carmarthen, and fellow tight-head Sam Wainwright, who has won four caps for Wales, arrive from Edinburgh and the Scarlets respectively.

Loose-head prop Ioan Emanuel and scrum-half Ieuan Davies will spend the season on loan from Bath.

Out: Gabe Hamer-Webb, Regan Grace, Rey Lee-Lo, Tinus de Beer, Rhys Litterick, Efan Daniel, Seb Davies, Thomas Young, Gwilym Bradley, Mackenzie Martin.

Dragons

Thomas Young played for Wasps before joining Cardiff

In: Dragons have comfortably been the busiest of the Welsh sides with 13 senior signings after a miserable season when they finished bottom of the URC with just one win.

Tight-head prop Dillon Lewis will hunt a Wales recall after coming home from Harlequins, while 2021 British and Irish Lions squad loose-head Wyn Jones also arrives from the Twickenham Stoop.

Lock Seb Davies, flanker Thomas Young and fly-half Tinus de Beer make the short trip from Cardiff along with number eight Mackenzie Martin, who is initially on a season-long loan after struggling for game time at the Arms Park.

Wales Under-20s captain and flanker Harry Beddall will step up to senior rugby after switching from Leicester.

South African tight-head prop Robert Hunt arrives from Cheetahs and well-travelled lock Levi Douglas, who is Welsh-qualified and was at Biarritz last season, joins the options in the second row.

The hope is that Tongan backs Fetuli Paea and Fine Inisi will add firepower in midfield and on the wing after signing from Zebre Parma and Moana Pasifika.

Fly-half Jac Lloyd and utility back David Richards are rewarded for helping Newport to the Super Rygbi Cymru title.

Out: Jordan Williams, Ashton Hewitt, Harry Wilson, Scott Williams, Will Reed, Lloyd Evans, Josh Thomas, Dane Blacker, Josh Reynolds, Paula Latu, Dmitri Arhip, George Nott, Joe Davies, Dan Lydiate, Taine Basham, George Young.

Ospreys

Ross Moriarty went on the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017

In: The big change at Ospreys will be the eventual move to St Helen's but their statement signing was Ross Moriarty.

The destructive Wales back-rower, whose father Paul and uncle Richard played for Swansea RFC, has returned from France after leaving Dragons for Brive at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Hooker Efan Daniel, who toured Australia with Wales last year, will hope to kick on after making the switch from Cardiff.

The signing of Australian lock Ryan Smith softens the blow of losing Adam Beard to Montpellier while scrum-half Harri Williams, who came through at Scarlets and played for Ampthill in the English Championship, arrives from club rugby in Canberra.

Out: Owen Williams, Adam Beard, Justin Tipuric, Tristan Davies.

Scarlets

Jake Ball has played 50 internationals for Wales

In: Scarlets' bid to build on last season has been hit by the loss of back row Vaea Fifita but they have made some strong signings.

Wales lock Jake Ball will add plenty of heft after reversing his his decision to retire; the 34-year-old has declared he returns from a spell in Japan in better physical shape.

The homecoming of centre Joe Hawkins, whose international career was put on hold by a move from Ospreys to Exeter, adds to the midfield options and his ball-playing skills mean that he could also slot in at fly-half.

Scrum-half Dane Blacker returns to Llanelli after two seasons with Dragons and will battle for action with Gareth Davies and Archie Hughes.

Flanker Tristan Davies makes the short move from Ospreys while England Under-20s full-back Ioan Jones, who is Welsh-qualified, arrives from Gloucester.

Out: Steff Evans, Ioan Lloyd, Charlie Titcombe, Efan Jones, Sam Wainwright, Shaun Evans, Vaea Fifita, Alex Craig, Morgan Jones, Ed Scragg.