Welsh rugby to lose one of its four regions in the next three years

The number of professional men’s rugby teams in Wales is to be cut from four to three within the next three years. The Welsh Rugby Union had been pushing for a two-team solution but, after a period of consultation, has now announced there will be funding for only three pro sides in the future.

The four existing regions – Cardiff, Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons – will remain for the moment but are to be reduced to three by 2028, with teams based in the capital city, east Wales and west Wales. It means there will be insufficient room for both the Scarlets – formerly Llanelli – and the Swansea-based Ospreys who could now come under pressure to merge. If a merger proves impossible – highly likely with so much history and rivalry involved – a “fair and transparent” tender process would decide the outcome.

It will inevitably trigger a further period of uncertainty for players and supporters. The WRU, however, says the decision “reflects the need to concentrate talent, improve competitiveness and ensure financial sustainability” within Welsh rugby. “We have heard loud and clear from the consultation that people want a long-term fix and not a short-term patch,” said Richard Collier-Keywood, chair of the WRU Board. “We have listened and we agree.”

The extended timeline is shaped by the fact the WRU is committed to the United Rugby Championship until 2028 and would be liable for a heavy fine if a club were to withdraw prematurely. However, if the URC finds a replacement before then – there has been speculation about a potential American franchise – Welsh representation could theoretically be reduced as early as the start of the 2027-28 season.

The process is the product of rugby’s increasingly tough financial landscape and Welsh rugby’s lack of success. Between them the regions have not won a big trophy for years and the national side’s fortunes have taken a sharp dip during which they have endured a record 18-game losing streak and sunk to 12th in the world rankings.

WRU bosses have made clear, however, that doing nothing was no longer an option. The three proposed sides will each initially receive annual funding of £6.4m, rising to £7.8m. Two elite women’s teams will also be funded but the upheaval will prompt renewed questions from politicians and fans, with rugby’s popularity in Wales traditionally based around fierce local rivalries.

Jac Morgan, here on the ball for Ospreys against Leicester, has indicated he will depart Welsh professional club rugby if his Ospreys side cease to exist. Photograph: Ben Evans/Huw Evans/Shutterstock

MPs have already announced plans to question the WRU about the outcome of its consultation and the impact on the sport’s wider economic and cultural importance in Wales. “With rugby woven into the fabric of life in communities up and down the nation, the proposed structural changes announced by the WRU today will resonate far beyond the pitch,” said Ruth Jones MP, chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee.

Next month’s autumn international series is now certain to take place against a renewed backdrop of domestic bickering, with the WRU-owned Cardiff and the Dragons having already signed up to a new Professional Rugby Agreement while the Ospreys and Scarlets have yet to do so.

If the Scarlets, in particular, were to disappear from the professional map it would represent a grievous blow to rugby’s heritage in west Wales which has spawned some of the world game’s most illustrious talents. Ospreys, too, have enjoyed greater success in recent times than either Cardiff or Dragons.

There are also plans to redevelop St Helen’s in Swansea as the Ospreys’ new permanent home, while the Scarlets recently announced proposed new US-based investors. The Wales captain, Jac Morgan, has indicated he will depart Welsh professional club rugby if his Ospreys side cease to exist and a three-year hiatus will inevitably have an impact on player retention and recruitment in Welsh rugby more generally.