Who is at risk as Welsh rugby consultation starts?

A consultation period on the future of rugby in Wales will begin in September.

This week, all four professional clubs will have a chance to explain why the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) shouldn’t cut two teams.

Before September 26th, representatives from the teams of Cardiff, Dragons, Scarlets, and Ospreys will have their say at separate meetings.

However, it remains to be seen whether anyone can divert the government’s “optimal” strategy.

The WRU board is scheduled to make a decision in late October, but the union insists nothing has been finalized and is ready to listen.

Additionally, there would be jobs.

All members of the backroom team, operations, and administration staff are subject to uncertainty.

In their most recent accounts, Cardiff listed 247 workers, including Scarlets, Ospreys, 119, and Dragons, but there will also be more in-house work in the clubs’ supply chains.

According to Llanelli Council, Scarlets alone account for more than 400 jobs.

The mess was caused by Cardiff’s collapse in many ways.

A new professional rugby agreement (PRA) had been put in place by all four regions, but everything changed when Cardiff went into administration in April.

Scarlets and Ospreys renounced the agreement after the WRU intervened to save the capital city club.

Their adversaries’ skepticism may have been justified by WRU CEO Abi Tierney’s comments.

She said in August that “we didn’t make the decision when Cardiff became a government.”

I claimed that this was one of the factors we chose to bring Cardiff in-house due to “a lot of factual reasons, populations, pathways, number of clubs, etc..”

Therefore, it’s difficult to see a model in Cardiff where rugby is not practiced, but other people can.

The largest population base in Wales is in Cardiff, with an average attendance of 8,694 last season, which was the largest among the Welsh regions. They also have a lease with Cardiff Athletic Club, which they have until 2028.

Rodney Parade hasn’t had much of Polish talent recently; the only trophy the club has ever won was the Premiership Rugby 7s despite two European semi-finals.

Due to their performance, Dragons would be in trouble because they finished 17 out of 22 years as the worst Welsh team, and they also came in behind by a small margin with just one win.

However, the club, under the leadership of owners David Buttress, David Wright, and Hoyoung Huh, believes they are in a strong position off the field. They’ve signed a new 10-year lease for Ystrad Mynach and are hiring a lot this summer.

The northern end of Rodney Parade is being planned with the goal of developing it. The football club Newport County also pays rent to the area, and there are other sporting events that Rodney Parade makes money off of.

The WRU has also recognized that Dragons have a number of well-known clubs in their area.

There are 73 clubs in Gwent, they have a rich history and have produced some amazing players, so there is no way I would be able to stand here and not have a professional club in Gwent without knowing I had done everything I could.

Ospreys have won four league titles and the Anglo-Welsh Cup, making them the most successful Welsh side since regional rugby was first introduced in 2003.

In his first Wales team, Warren Gatland in 2008, he is renowned for naming 13 Ospreys players.

However, those star-studded “Galacticos,” along with All Blacks Justin Marshall, Marty Holah, and Jerry Collins, should have accomplished more.

Alun Wyn Jones, Shane Williams, Dan Biggar, Adam Jones, and James Hook are just a few of the stars that the area has produced. One of only two Welsh Lions players, Jac Morgan, and Gloucester’s Tomos Williams, flew to Australia this summer.

Ospreys also have a population in Wales’ second-largest city, and they have chosen to spend this 2025-26 season in Bridgend while renovating St Helen’s.

However, Swansea council has options if the WRU decision affects the city’s professional rugby program.

The Scarlets and the region, which were taken over by Y11 Sport &amp, Media in 2020, were on the verge of merging in 2019, but Cardiff and the region’s potential merger in 2023 was ruled out.

Scarlets have so far been the most vocal opponents of the WRU plans, with politicians joining the protests from House of Luxury new investors and club fans.

This week, Llanelli Council will vote on a motion challenging the Union to save Scarlets, which “contributes millions of pounds” to the local economy.

The topic of discussion also relates to heritage and history, which includes two league titles, though the last one was in 2017, back in 2017.

Scarlets will be Wales’ only Champions Cup representative this year, winning averaging crowd of 6 666 in the previous year to reach the URC play-offs.

They have produced many players, including Stephen Jones, George North, and Jonathan Davies, but this summer was the first time in the region that they did not.

Part-timers Llanelli controversially withdrew from Premiership play in 2023, but the Scarlets’ path has been strengthened by their performances in Llandovery’s Super Rygbi Cymru and Carmarthen Quins.

The WRU’s formal consultation document did not specify the names of the two elite clubs that would be founded or what they would be called.

That leaves the possibility of creating two entirely new entities on the table.

Four clubs staying, with two receiving more funding and two being development sides, is one option, albeit the worst, in the union’s opinion.

Would a “smaller” pair’s supporters, owners, and players agree to do that in exchange for survival?