QUESTIONS OVER FUTURE OF OSPREYS AND SCARLETS AS WRU PLAN FOR THREE REGIONS

THE Welsh Rugby Union has outlined its plan to cut a Welsh region going forward following a unanimous board decision.

- SION BARRY, STEFFAN THOMAS & BEN JAMES

The union’s intention is to move to three teams by 2028 at the latest following a six-week consultation process.

The four current regions will remain in the short-term, but the future will look very different, with one side in the west, one in the east and one in the capital.

The WRU board has unanimously agreed to implement a new whole-system approach to elite rugby, designed to deliver long-term success through rugby alignment across all levels of the game and financial sustainability.

Speaking at a press conference in Cardiff's Principality Stadium yesterday, chair of the WRU Board, Richard Collier-Keywood, said: “We have heard loud and clear from the consultation that people want a long-term fix and not a short-term patch. We have listened and we agree.

“Our decision is that the future structure of elite men’s rugby will be based on three professional men’s clubs, replacing the current four-team model, alongside two women’s elite teams.”