WRU board defends three-club rugby plan
WRU board rejects calls to resign and defends its plan to reduce Welsh professional rugby from four teams to three from 2028.
©PA
The Welsh Rugby Union board (WRU) has rejected growing calls for its members to resign and defended its controversial decision to reduce Wales from four professional men’s teams to three from the 2028-29 season.
The board also condemned what it described as personal attacks directed at its members and WRU staff.
WRU Rejects Calls for Board Resignations
The statement follows a turbulent period for Welsh rugby, with former Wales star Jonathan Davies and prominent business figures among those publicly questioning the leadership of the governing body.
The WRU said criticism of its decisions was legitimate but argued that personal insults were unacceptable. It called for those opposing its restructuring plans to put forward credible alternatives for creating a financially sustainable professional game.
The board also defended the range of commercial, financial and professional rugby expertise within its current leadership structure.
"Whatever your views about what is best for the future of Welsh rugby, there is no justification for the highly personal insults and attacks that have been recently directed at members of our staff and at the WRU Board.
"Everyone involved in Welsh rugby wants the same thing. A sustainable sport that works for every village, town and city in Wales and that achieves regular success at an elite level, in both the men’s and women’s game. This is exactly what our strategy for the future is designed to deliver.
"From our new community investment model, which has been successfully launched across the grassroots game, to the extra investment in our Super Rygbi Cymru competition, and the advancements being made in our national squads".
WRU Stands Firm on Three-Club Model
The governing body reiterated its belief that Wales cannot sustainably finance four competitive professional teams beyond 2028.
"The WRU has worked closely with the leadership of our men’s professional teams to address the financial and performance challenges facing our sport.
"There is no realistic prospect of the game generating enough revenue to fund four professional teams competitively beyond 2028.
"The available finances, and the player-base needed to sustain them, are spread too thinly across four teams to give any of them what they need to succeed".
The WRU confirmed in July that its future model would feature three professional teams representing the capital, east Wales and west Wales.
Ospreys and Scarlets Face Licence Battle
Cardiff and Dragons are positioned for the capital and east Wales licences respectively, leaving Ospreys and Scarlets competing for the remaining western licence.
The formal licensing process is scheduled to begin later in 2026 and be completed by the end of the 2026-27 season.
Despite mounting opposition, the WRU board insisted the three-team structure remains necessary to build a stronger and more sustainable professional system.
"As a professional, responsible group of individuals with the same aim, we have affirmed the difficult decision to move to a three-club model.
"The new model is designed to develop a strong and sustainable professional structure and a pathway system that gives future players, across our rugby strongholds, the best opportunity to develop".
