Ospreys fans ramp up protest against WRU and Y11

“WRU, shame on you” came the cry from hundreds of Ospreys fans protesting against moves that could see their region disappear as a professional side in little more than a year’s time.

They gathered at the mural of legendary Bridgend, Wales and British and Irish Lions full-back JPR Williams before the United Rugby Championship (URC) 19-13 home derby win against Dragons at Bridgend’s Brewery Field.

Fans and former Ospreys players spoke out against the regions owners, Y11 Sport and Media, who are the Welsh Rugby Union’s (WRU) preferred bidder to take over Cardiff against the backdrop of plans to shrink the number of professional men’s teams in Wales.

Ospreys Supporters Club (OSC) chair Sarah Collins-Davies said by staging the protest they wanted to show the rugby world how much the region meant to them.

“We’re not going to go gently, we are not going down without a fight, we will fight to the end, we never give up,” Collins-Davies told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

Feelings having been running high for several weeks among Ospreys supporters – and placards and banners at Saturday’s protest criticised Y11 Sport, the WRU and the potential deal to buy Cardiff who were saved by the Union after going into administration in April 2025.

Should the deal go through, Ospreys and Cardiff will initially continue as separate sides but both be owned by Y11.

However, the future looks bleak for Ospreys, who have only been given playing guarantees as a professional side until the end of the 2026-27 season.

The WRU are determined to reduce the number of men’s regions from four to three and this presents the ideal opportunity to realise their ambition.

OSC secretary Keith Collins said Welsh rugby without Ospreys was “inconceivable”, highlighting the fact they have been the most successful side since the inception of regional rugby in 2003.

Supporters lined up to warn they would walk away from Welsh rugby if the Ospreys were culled as a professional team, with some loyal fans bordering on tears as emotions ran high.

Former players Gough and Shane Williams took to the microphone to address the crowd, promising they will not give up.

Williams reminded the supporters of the Ospreys slogan “our blood is black” which originated from an interview he gave in 2012, the year the side won the last of its four league titles.

Y11 were criticised with shouts for them to “get out of our club”, while questions were raised about the whereabouts and visibility of owner James Davies Yandle, who is based in South Asia.

Ospreys fans are trying to come to terms with what some see as their owners trying to buy a Welsh rival in order to effectively close down the side they already run.

WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood, chief executive Abi Tierney and director of rugby Dave Reddin were targeted, while board member Jamie Roberts, who was at the ground commentating on the game, also came in for stick.

Former Wales centre Roberts was part of the WRU board who agreed to cut the number of sides from four to three and then later rubber-stamped Y11 as the preferred Cardiff bidder.

Roberts was live on television when he stood alongside former Dragons and Wales lock Andrew Coombs who said it was “the worst possible decision to hand the Cardiff keys to Y11”.

Roberts responded by saying “it is a really difficult situation for coaches, players and more importantly fans” and praised a pre-match interview given by Ospreys head coach Mark Jones, who stated “the reality is hitting home now how seismic this could be”.

Former players, including Alun Wyn Jones, Williams, James Hook, Gavin Henson and Ryan Jones, signed a letter last week, along with old coaches and staff members, insisting Ospreys must remain as a professional entity and four regions must be protected.

Collins-Davies said it echoes the views of the fans.

“That’s the attitude from all the supporters and what has really galvanised everybody this week was all the backing of the ex-players,” she said.

“We can’t thank them enough for what they have done, it’s been invaluable.”

Gough says the former players came together to try and help.

“There have been some amazing players coming through the Ospreys and it holds a special place in my heart,” said Gough.

“We always fought in every game we went into, whether we won, lost or drew.

There has also been a petition organised by the official supporters groups of Ospreys, Cardiff and Dragons calling on the WRU to stop its plans of cutting a side.

“This week is the resurgence of fans from all over Wales, the other regions joining as well as they realise how badly the Ospreys have been treated,” said Gough.

“The transparency hasn’t been there. Other fans have realised that could happen to them as easily and as quickly in the manner which it has been done to Ospreys.

“It has been the realisation of what was going on. We’ve been kept in the dark.

“There is unrest among Cardiff supporters, they’re not happy about how this has been handled and the implications.

“That has brought a sense that none of us are safe.”

Gough also highlighted the human element.

“This has been done in such a brutal manner, you have to think of people’s families and livelihoods and their mental state,” said Gough.

“It affects everything and galvanised people against the WRU. It’s the Welsh village mentality that has brought us together with a common cause.”

Not all Welsh fans have backed the petition, which has not been supported by “Crys 16”, the self-styled official supporters trust of the Scarlets who have a seat on the board of the organisation.

Another fans body, calling themselves the Scarlets official supporters group, has urged people to sign the petition.

This highlights the divide between the Scarlets fans because if the Ospreys somehow survived but WRU still wanted to cut a team, it would likely to be a straight shootout between Ospreys and Scarlets for the west licence in a possible tender process.

So as Welsh rugby often encourages, even demands, self-preservation is the key.

If the Ospreys are preserved as a professional side beyond 2027, with the preferred option for the WRU they are not, remains to be seen.