SWANSEA COUNCIL'S STATEMENT IN FULL...

SWANSEA council has today released key details from a recent meeting with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and the Ospreys where they outlined proposals on the future of regional rugby in Wales.

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The council has also issued pre-action legal letters to the WRU and Y11, owners of the Ospreys, calling for an immediate pause to the current restructure of Welsh rugby.

The meeting took place on January 22, 2026 between the Leader of Swansea council, five senior council officers, WRU chief executive Abi Tierney, and Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley, following a request from Mr Bradley.

While the council had intended to publish the full minutes, Y11, Ospreys and the WRU have all objected to it doing so. In order to be constructive, minimise the risk of unnecessary disputes, and avoid delaying vital information reaching the public, the council has instead decided to release only the key facts which it believes it is clearly in the public interest to disclose.

During the meeting, the WRU confirmed its position that Welsh regional teams would be reduced from four to three. It was also confirmed that Y11, the owners of the Ospreys, are the preferred bidders for Cardiff Rugby, with a 60-day due diligence process already under way.

Mr Bradley outlined the Ospreys’ intended direction should the Y11 acquisition of Cardiff Rugby proceed:

■ There would not be a professional Ospreys team playing regional rugby at St Helen's after the 2026/27 season;

■ The Ospreys envisaged a potential merger with Swansea RFC (the Whites) after the 2026/27 season, with the merged team competing in the semiprofessional Super Rygbi Cymru (SRC) rather than the United Rugby Championship (URC)