THE WELSH RUGBY Union has announced that it will no longer fund the four professional regional clubs evenly as the 15-a-side code in Wales endured fresh turbulence.
The governing body’s move comes after the Swansea-based Ospreys and Llanelli’s Scarlets did not sign up to its new Professional Rugby Agreement.
The agreement (PRA25) had been signed by Newport’s Dragons and Cardiff, who were taken over by the WRU last month having served formal notification that they intended to enter administration.
Last week Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the WRU for assurances that the takeover of the capital club “will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs”, adding: “Until we have greater clarity, we are currently unable to sign the PRA25.”
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But on Sunday the WRU responded by saying that with Ospreys and Scarlets not signing by the set deadline, they had taken the “difficult but necessary decision to issue the formal two-year notice to terminate the current PRA agreement in order, in particular, to proceed with its debt refinancing”.
The statement added: “This is not a decision that was taken lightly, however given the WRU’s duties to the game in Wales as a whole, the broader performance, financial and strategic needs of the game must take precedence.”
The WRU stressed “given the seismic changes in the rugby landscape since we first started negotiating PRA25, the system will not return to the model of four evenly funded clubs”.
WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said: “We are continuing to talk to all four clubs about what the future will hold.”
Investment group Helford Capital Limited purchased a majority shareholding just over a year ago with Cardiff and Wales great Gareth Edwards appointed club president.
Sunday’s statement follows a miserable season for the Wales national men’s team, who ended the Six Nations with a second straight wooden spoon.
Wales have lost 17 successive Tests, a record for a Tier One nation in the professional era, stretching back to the 2023 World Cup.
Club rugby is also in the doldrums, with none of the Welsh regions qualifying for this season’s European Champions Cup.
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More turmoil in Welsh rugby as union says it won't give all four regions equal funding
THE WELSH RUGBY Union has announced that it will no longer fund the four professional regional clubs evenly as the 15-a-side code in Wales endured fresh turbulence.
The governing body’s move comes after the Swansea-based Ospreys and Llanelli’s Scarlets did not sign up to its new Professional Rugby Agreement.
The agreement (PRA25) had been signed by Newport’s Dragons and Cardiff, who were taken over by the WRU last month having served formal notification that they intended to enter administration.
Last week Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the WRU for assurances that the takeover of the capital club “will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs”, adding: “Until we have greater clarity, we are currently unable to sign the PRA25.”
But on Sunday the WRU responded by saying that with Ospreys and Scarlets not signing by the set deadline, they had taken the “difficult but necessary decision to issue the formal two-year notice to terminate the current PRA agreement in order, in particular, to proceed with its debt refinancing”.
The statement added: “This is not a decision that was taken lightly, however given the WRU’s duties to the game in Wales as a whole, the broader performance, financial and strategic needs of the game must take precedence.”
The WRU stressed “given the seismic changes in the rugby landscape since we first started negotiating PRA25, the system will not return to the model of four evenly funded clubs”.
WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said: “We are continuing to talk to all four clubs about what the future will hold.”
Investment group Helford Capital Limited purchased a majority shareholding just over a year ago with Cardiff and Wales great Gareth Edwards appointed club president.
Sunday’s statement follows a miserable season for the Wales national men’s team, who ended the Six Nations with a second straight wooden spoon.
Wales have lost 17 successive Tests, a record for a Tier One nation in the professional era, stretching back to the 2023 World Cup.
Club rugby is also in the doldrums, with none of the Welsh regions qualifying for this season’s European Champions Cup.
– © AFP 2025
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