REGIONS BLAST NEW WRU PLANS

THE Scarlets and Ospreys have joined forces to hit back at the Welsh Rugby Union's dramatic new plans for the professional game.

- BEN JAMES

The two regions say they are "concerned and disappointed" over the WRU's announcement there will no longer be four equally-funded professional clubs in Wales.

The two West Wales sides slammed the union's U-turn for creating more "destabilising and debilitating uncertainty" in the Welsh game.

It was revealed on Saturday that the WRU has informed its four professional sides - Cardiff, the Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - that the number of teams in Wales needs to reduce to three following the failure of all four to agree to its proposed new Professional Rugby Agreement.

The WRU later confirmed that it had triggered the two-year notice period on the current set-up and said the future landscape will not see four evenly-funded teams.