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  • 2 days ago
The Welsh Rugby Union has announced plans for a radical overhaul of the professional game in Wales, which could see a reduction in the number of pro teams from 2026/27.
A formal consultation will take place in August and September between the WRU, the four existing professional clubs – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – and other stakeholders.

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00:00The Welsh Rugby Union has announced plans for a radical overhaul of the professional
00:07game in Wales, which could see a reduction in the number of pro teams from 2026.
00:13A formal consultation will take place in August and September between the WRU, the four existing
00:20professional clubs, Cardiff Dragons, Ospreys and Scarletts and other stakeholders.
00:26This wide range will cover the entire high performance system from player pathways and
00:31academies to the senior men's and women's games.
00:35The WRU has concluded that the current structure involving national teams, pro clubs, universities,
00:40schools and community rugby is not delivering sustained success and is financially unsustainable
00:47even with recent efforts to raise revenue.
00:51After 18 months of internal review and dialogue with clubs, the governing body is considering
00:55a major restructure to concrete the investment and reform the entire model.
01:01On the game, our country will be proud of us.
01:07We need to re-establish faith and trust and confidence here for our partners, for our stakeholders,
01:15for our rugby family as a whole.
01:18On the pitch, Wales finally ended a 644-day wait for a test victory, defeating Japan in
01:24Kobe.
01:25The long-overdue result halted a miserable run of 18 consecutive test defeats and lifted
01:30Wales to place in the World Rugby rankings, moving from a historic low of 14th to 12th.
01:37The win offered a glimmer of hope as Wales tried to get credibility back on the international
01:42stage.
01:43It boosted their chance of being seeded for the 2027 World Cup draw.
01:48Falling outside the top 12 would be a risk of so-called group of death, something the
01:53WRU will be desperate to avoid.
01:56Wales now face a stern autumn schedule with Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa all lined up.
02:02While structural reforms loon off the pitch, the priority on it is to build the momentum
02:07in Kobe and prove that Welsh Rugby's long rebuild is finally underway.

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