On the field, the recent history of Welsh Rugby has not been the most glittering of eras, with the women’s national team finishing the current World Cup winless and at the bottom of their group, and the men’s team languishing in 12th place in the world rankings.
In an effort to turn the tide on the decline of rugby in the country, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has announced proposed plans for the elite game, with a potential outcome of cutting Wales down to only two professional teams. The governing body is due to announce its final decision at the end of October, following a short period of consultation. To say that the proposed plans have been somewhat controversial would be the understatement of the year!
The proposal being consulted upon is whether Wales should cut its professional teams from four down to two, with the aim of increasing profitability, competitiveness and quality. The four current teams, Cardiff, Dragons, Scarlets and Ospreys, have all been invited in to the WRU to give their opinion, and the consultation is also open to fans, players and politicians.
Regardless of whether Wales should have two or four professional teams (and my preference is very much to stick to four), the current system is not working – Wales is no longer producing a high quality of player and as a result fans are no longer as engaged as they once were.
By setting up franchises, the WRU has severed the heart of Welsh rugby from the top. The community clubs have always been the beating heart of Welsh rugby, and that is where the talent has been fostered and recognised by the national team. With the introduction of professional franchises, this historically successful pathway appears to have stopped. In the Wales 2025 squad, 10 out of the 34 players (29%) were foreign born, meaning they did not come through the Welsh system. Eleven of the players play in the English league, meaning that fewer than half of the squad play in, or were developed by, the Welsh system. This situation has a severe impact on the collective identity of the squad, playing styles and togetherness.
The key issue is that the regional system imposed by the WRU has not created regions that nurture and mature their own players, but simply take them from the clubs with little or no recompense. This in turn has disincentivised local clubs who feel as though they are plundered for their talent, while the regions (with most ire directed at Cardiff) reap the financial rewards with minimum investment. This is particularly ironic as it was Cardiff going into administration that precipitated the current mess, mainly through its own financial mismanagement.
The good news is that the WRU has actually realised there is a crisis and is doing something about it. The bad news is that the current consultation has pitted the four regions against each other in a beauty parade, which isn’t productive for anyone.
If only two survive, it looks as though Cardiff (the capital city and with the largest support) and Ospreys (the most successful region) would be favourites. But that will go down like a lead balloon in Newport and Llanelli, home of the Dragons and Scarlets respectively, towns that many would claim are the beating heart of Welsh Rugby. Another muted option is for four regions to remain, with two getting more funding and the other two becoming ‘development’ sides – a solution that I imagine would provide more problems than solutions and be seen simply as a sticking plaster to the current crisis.
Welsh rugby has a long way to travel before the WRU gives its final verdict at the end of October, and whatever the outcome a large proportion of those of us that love the sport will be unhappy. The fact that the situation has got progressively worse since the introduction of the regions will hopefully be recognised, and a solution will be found that reignites the former powerhouse of the community clubs throughout Wales and lets them return to their natural role of identifying and nurturing the next generation of Welsh talent.
David Little is a Partner at Bishop & Sewell in our expert Sports Law and Corporate & Commercial teams.
If you would like to contact him, please call on either 07968 027343 or 020 7631 4141 or email: company@bishopandsewell.co.uk.
The above is accurate as at 03 September 2025.
The information above may be subject to change. The content of this note should not be considered legal advice, and each matter should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
