Ospreys and Scarlets accuse WRU of funding U-turn

Ospreys and Scarlets have accused the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) of making a flop following its decision to abandon its four professional sides with equal funding.

WRU bosses claim they now intend to implement a new two-tier funding structure, which Ospreys and Scarlets claim has “created more destabilizing and debilitating uncertainty in our game.”

By the deadline of 8 May, Ospreys and Scarlets had not agreed to Welsh rugby’s new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA).

Dragons and Cardiff, who had received a formal notification that they intended to go into administration last month, signed the agreement.

Ospreys and Scarlets claimed to have contacted the WRU to request assurances that the acquisition would not “disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs.”

WRU have given a two-year notice to the current agreement that supports the Welsh professional game after Ospreys and Scarlets failed to do so.

That current PRA expires in 2027, despite the new five-year agreement’s promise to replace it.

The WRU stated in a statement on Sunday that it had made the “difficult but necessary decision” to issue the formal two-year notice to terminate the current PRA agreement in order, particularly, to proceed with its debt refinancing, because those clubs had not signed by the deadline.

The organization’s announcement came as a result of reports that it plans to remove a team from its professional ranks.

Ospreys and Scarlets have released a statement outlining their opinions.

The WRU’s statement read, “We are concerned and depressed to read the WRU outlining a sudden change in its strategy of four professionally managed, equally funded clubs in Wales.”

“This U-turn has now made our game more destabilizing and incapacitating,” according to the questions being posed by stakeholders from our clubs and local communities regarding the future structure and landscape for professional rugby in Wales.

The “One Wales” strategy and the new PRA (2025) have both undergone dramatic and unintentional changes.

“This contradicts recent commitments made to Welsh rugby fans and clubs.

We all care about the future of professional rugby in Wales.

The two Welsh regions demanded that the WRU provide “more detail and clarity” with the decision.

We want to know the “occasion” it wants to take advantage of, and let them know how they plan to implement a new system and model for Welsh rugby.

We require a unified position and coherent strategy to keep developing as professional clubs in Wales.

We as professional clubs share the same enthusiasm, determination, and hope for a better and more sustainable future for our sport in Wales, which has experienced significant change in recent years.