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The Welsh Rugby Union has set a March deadline to decide which of Wales’ four professional teams will be cut as it presses ahead with plans to reduce the number of clubs to three.
The Professional Rugby Board met on Monday for an update on the WRU’s plans to cut the number of professional clubs to three.
WalesOnline understands the union has doubled down on its intention to cut down to three teams after seeking fresh external advice on the best way forward for Welsh rugby with the resources it has available.
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It is also sticking with its initial plan of one licence in east Wales, one in Cardiff and one in the west.
The WRU hierarchy has long regarded putting the three licences out to tender as a legally fraught route, preferring instead to reach an agreement through consensus.
It appears both Cardiff and the Dragons are safe, leaving both the Ospreys and Scarlets in a precarious position unless they agree to merge.
But it is difficult to see how the WRU can reduce the number of teams to three without launching a formal tender process, and there appears to be no clear or workable plan for achieving that as yet.
Just a few months ago, the Ospreys appeared to be the team in line to lose their top-tier status, after Swansea Council claimed they would move into the semi-professional Super Rygbi Cymru competition if Y11 acquired Cardiff.
But negotiations with Y11 over the sale of Cardiff fell through after Swansea Council launched a legal challenge to protect the Ospreys and the WRU has since confirmed it has taken the club off the market.
The governing body previously confirmed it would be staying at four teams until the 2028/29 season before eventually reducing to three teams.
There were many people who thought the WRU’s plan would fizzle out but they seem as determined as ever to get down to three teams.
The WRU will appoint a new chair to succeed Richard Collier-Keywood this summer, but WalesOnline has been told the successful candidate will be selected on the basis of their ability to deliver the organisation’s plan to reduce the professional game to three teams.
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