- Joined
- Sep 18, 2018
- Messages
- 1,413
- Reaction score
- 300
WRU to announce plan for cut to two teams as seismic full details emerge
Welsh rugby is set for a radical change not seen since 2003 as details of the WRU's proposal become clear
WRU to announce plan for cut to two teams as seismic full details emerge
Welsh rugby is set for a radical change not seen since 2003 as details of the WRU's proposal become clear
The Welsh Rugby Union is to officially announce its preferred plan to cut the number of professional teams in Wales from four to two and assume significant control of the remaining sides.
WRU director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin is the key author of what the WRU views as the optimal structure for Welsh rugby. It includes a reduction to two teams in what is a seismic change in the Welsh rugby landscape.
The WRU will honour all current player contracts prior to May 20, 2025 for Welsh-qualified players.
Each club will be made up of a men's team and a women's team while, as exclusively reported by WalesOnline last month, a new centre of excellence is in the pipeline.
It is not yet clear whether the two surviving clubs will be any of the existing four or if two brand new entities will be created. This is the WRU's optimal solution but technically this could change over the next couple of months, with the four regions publicly saying they are determined to fight for their futures and urge the union to consider alternative solutions during a six-week consultation process.
Both men's teams will have a squad size of 50 players each and playing budgets of £7.8m, under the plan put forward by the union.
The focus will be on Welsh-qualified players, with the number of overseas talent reduced, while there will be significant investment into the coaching teams and the pathway.
In a radical change individual club academies will get scrapped and a men's national academy will be created, supported by player development centres for players between the ages of 14-18 supported by Super Rygbi Cymru clubs.
The WRU also hope to create a national campus on two sites initially before a brand new site is completed with up to 400 players and staff based there.
The campus it will be home to the:
-Men's and women's national teams and staff
- Men's and women's professional clubs and staff
- Men's and women's national academies
In another radical shift the financial model underpinning the professional game will be turned on its head.
The WRU will directly fund all rugby costs in the two professional clubs in the hope of improved alignment.
On top of this, the professional clubs would operate under licence from the WRU, giving owners and investors full responsibility for all commercial operations.
The WRU also hope to resurrect the national academy which will include year-round world class training facilities at the national campus which would create greater synergy and alignment with the professional clubs and the national team.
It will also include world class coaching and S&C staff.
They also plan to pour significant investment into an improved Super Rygbi Cymru competition, which will see an increase in the salary cap, an improvement in coaching and more exposure.
The SRC clubs will also be better aligned to player development centres and local schools. On top of this, the development centres for boys between the ages of 14-18 will have full geographical coverage of Wales.
The two women's clubs will boast squads of 40 players made up predominantly of Welsh players but they will be targeting a limited number of world class overseas stars. Both sides will be supported by a national academy and PDC network.
The WRU will also propose establishing a senior women's domestic competition to underpin the Celtic Challenge in much the same way the SRC supports the professional men's game. There will also be a players development centre for the women's game.
This will be done in two phases with the first consisting of moving to two professional clubs with aligned rugby leadership along with contracting of players and staff. There will also be central national academies.
Phase two will see a transition to national campus operations and greater centralisation.
The WRU hope to have the new structure for the professional game in place in time for 2027/28 season at the latest.
A formal consultation process will begin this week where the WRU will enter discussions with the four existing professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets, along with the supporter groups including a panel of 100 fans and the Welsh Rugby Players Association.
The WRU will not announce where the two professional men's teams will be based as of yet.
