WRU Unleashes Fury: Plan to Reduce Professional Rugby Teams in Wales

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has acknowledged the “pain and anger” caused by its proposal to reduce the number of professional men’s teams in Wales from four to two. However, they insist that maintaining the status quo is not the “right” thing to do. The Welsh rugby governing body has unveiled a radical plan to transform the game at club and international level, detailing its ambitions in a 90-page consultation document titled “The Future of Elite Rugby in Wales”. A six-week consultation period will take place before the WRU makes a final decision on the plans. WRU chief executive Abi Tierney has urged people to “improve the proposals” and provide “something suitable for Welsh rugby”. The WRU’s proposal to halve the number of professional men’s teams (Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets) to two will be the most important topic of conversation in a document outlining four potential models for the game in Wales. It is not yet clear whether the two proposed future teams will be new entities or existing teams, but both organizations will have men’s and women’s teams.

“I know how emotional rugby is in Wales and people will be hurting today, when they think about what it could mean to them and their team. I recognize the pain and anger that people are going to feel. Change is difficult and this is difficult for fans. But the decrease in the number of fans has not been a great experience for anyone either, and we want to create an experience they can be proud of. What we were doing and continue to do for the fans was not right. I would encourage everyone to imagine how exciting it could be and to take that step into the future.” The WRU’s proposal comes amid the Ospreys’ plans to move to a remodeled stadium at St Helen’s in Swansea for the 2026-27 season and the Scarlets having recently presented new investors. The Dragons said this week that elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent, while Cardiff is currently owned by the WRU after entering administration in April.

The WRU may face legal action from regions that could be essentially excluded from the business, and WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood says there are “two or three areas of potential legal challenges”.

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The WRU has also proposed the creation of a national campus at a site yet to be decided, which would be home to the men’s and women’s professional teams, as well as the Welsh national teams and the union academy. The players were informed about the WRU’s plan on Tuesday and Dave Reddin, the new director of elite rugby and performance, is confident that suggestions of potential player strike action will not materialize.

The national campus would be a radical departure and would do something different, a defensive moat for Welsh rugby and creating a competitive advantage.

Dave Reddin

We have to think outside the box if we want to try to do things differently. Be brave enough to lead sometimes and do things that no one else is doing. Do things that people think are a little crazy, too different, or too uncomfortable.