WRU receives 'number of firm bids' for Cardiff

THE Welsh Rugby Union has received a number of firm bids for Cardiff Rugby and is confident it will find consensus on its plans to reduce the number of professional teams from four to three over the next few weeks.

- STEFFAN THOMAS Rugby Correspondent

The WRU has received a number of firm bids for Cardiff Rugby Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency

WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood has revealed they have received at least four final offers for Cardiff Rugby after the deadline for bidders passed last Friday.

Ospreys owners Y11 Sports & Media have been talked about as one potential bidder, with the WRU previously describing it as "one possible option". If Y11 were to purchase Cardiff that could be the easiest way for the WRU to achieve its aim of consensus.

What that would then mean for the Cardiff and Ospreys brands going forward is unclear, with the only thing certain is that there will be one team based in the Welsh capital, one in the east and one in the west when the restructure is complete.

There is, though, no official confirmation Y11 have indeed made a bid for Cardiff.

Asked specifically if Y11 had made an offer for Cardiff, Collier-Keywood said: "I don't want to comment on any specific ones that we are in dialogue with for obvious reasons.

"We are in dialogue with a number of people on a number of different options.

"I think commenting on any one particular one would give you a false impression on what's going on."

The WRU wants to avoid putting the three licences out to tender which would take months to reach a conclusion and would rather make this change through consensus, such as some sort of merger or other change.

"I know first hand we've had four bids in from the ones I've seen but we may have had others," said CollierKeywood.

"We are halfway through a process of trying to land that in the next literally few weeks, I hope.

"So yeah, I'm very confident that we'll get there and I'm looking forward to the next challenge.