Welsh rugby's possible new future as behind-scenes talks reach crucial stage

Welsh rugby's possible new future as behind-scenes talks reach crucial stage
Talks are happening in Welsh rugby's corridors of power and it is clear change must and will happen, Steffan Thomas reports
Change is coming to Welsh rugby this summer
(Image: Huw Evans )
The future direction of Welsh rugby will be shaped this summer.
That is no exaggeration. Wales effectively has two choices: it can limp on as it is and consign itself to a future of mediocrity at best or it can radically change the structure of the game in this country to give itself the best chance of sustained success.
‌
The penny has dropped with the Welsh Rugby Union and the Professional Rugby Board are working very hard behind the scenes to come up with a solution.
‌
The problems do not need another in-depth explanation.
The men's national team have lost their previous 17 Test matches - a tier one record - and the four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - have struggled to attain any sort of sustained success.
Something has to change and things cannot go on as they are.
Article continues below
When the men's national side struggles it has a negative knock-on effect on the whole of Welsh rugby from a financial sense.
Yes, there are some talented youngsters in the current Wales squad who will get better, while there are some potentially outstanding players emerging from the pathway, but the WRU needs to produce the optimum structure to give them the best chance of developing.
Currently Wales' talent is spread too thinly across four professional clubs, while there are also a plethora of Welsh-qualified players in England.
‌
During the 2024/25 season, the Welsh clubs were operating from a salary cap of £4.5m, although that will rise next season at Cardiff and the Dragons who have signed the new Professional Rugby Agreement.
The Gallagher Premiership salary cap this season was £6.4m which can rise to as high as £7.8m with home-grown player credits, international player credits and extra money for injury dispensation, while they are permitted one marquee player above the cap.
In Ireland, Leinster have been significantly more well-resourced than the other three provinces - Connacht, Munster and Ulster - although this gap is closing next season. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
‌
It is very difficult to pin down Leinster's exact playing budgets but Irish sources have told WalesOnline it is in the region of €10.6m
Crucially, in Ireland, professional sportsmen get a tax break when they retire which means the sides in Ireland don't have to pay their players as much. For example, a professional player in Wales might be on £120,000 at the Scarlets but get offered £180,000 to sign for Exeter Chiefs. In Ireland a player might be on £120,000 at Munster but get offered £180,000 to sign for an English club but if he stays in Ireland he will be able to claim money back upon retirement.
The Irish Government also puts huge investment into professional sport. For example, Connacht received a €10 million grant through the Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund to go towards the development of a new stadium in Galway.
‌
These are issues outside of the WRU's control but if it wants professional clubs who are competing for silverware every season they are likely to need playing budgets in the region of £9m.
The reality is it cannot do this with four clubs any longer and that is why it is looking at the prospect of reducing to three, if not two, professional sides.
For the national side to get back to winning Six Nations Grand Slams it needs its professional clubs competing every year in the latter stages of the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship, if not winning it.
‌
This requires a greater squad spend but also creating an elitist high-performance system built on extremely high standards.
For example, Leinster have a squad of 58 players and there is huge cohesion in terms of partnerships, which benefits Ireland at Test level.
If you look at Leinster's front-row they have the likes of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong as starters but on the bench they have further internationals in the shape of Ronan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy and Thomas Clarkson, along with a senior France international in Rabah Slimani.
‌
To put it into context their two first choice hookers are in the British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia this summer.
That is the level of depth and competition for places needed for Welsh rugby to thrive.
Also, with greater depth there will be less of a drop off when teams suffer injuries. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
‌
There are also 32 non-Welsh qualified players in Wales, so fewer professional clubs would result in a significant reduction, but the ones that are signed should in theory be marquee players in the same bracket as All Blacks superstar Jordie Barrett who is on a sabbatical at Leinster.
At international level Ireland is mainly Leinster with the likes of Tadhg Beirne and Bundee Aki added in on top.
The players are all in sync with each other and also benefit from being part of a squad which is regularly competing at the cutting edge of competitions.
‌
Wales needs to produce something similar.
Two or three clubs competing every year in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup as a minimum, with the aim of winning is what is being discussed behind closed doors.
It is close to impossible to achieve this with four clubs.
‌
Talent needs to be concentrated to increase competition for places which should in theory drive up standards across the board which was the thinking behind moving to regional rugby back in 2003.
Also, it should also be an aim of the WRU to have at least one club participate in the financially lucrative Club World Cup which will be launched in 2028.
Latter stage participation will also significantly improve commercial performances and bring in money across the board.
‌
But what also needs to be taken into consideration is what structure underpins the professional game.
A new-look Super Rygbi Cymru
If the WRU decides to reduce to three or two clubs there needs to be greater investment in Super Rygbi Cymru so it can potentially mirror New Zealand's NPC.
The first season of SRC has been positive with the competition achieving far greater alignment to the pathway than the old Welsh Premiership did.
‌
But the gap between the professional game and the SRC still needs to be bridged significantly before it is anywhere near the level on offer in New Zealand.
But if the WRU reduces the number of professional sides it will have the money to invest in the SRC to significantly increase standards, interest among fans who still hold famous club names dear and commercial possibilities. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
Naturally, there will also be more professional standard players available to SRC teams if there are fewer professional clubs. If we go down to two professional clubs they will have far deeper squads and will release a greater percentage of players to play in the SRC.
Article continues below
The discussions at PRB level have to focus on what is needed to get the men's national side competing at the top end of the world game again
The way to do that is to have professional clubs regularly competing for and winning silverware.
Those at the top of Welsh are increasingly aware the status quo simply cannot deliver that.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

North Wales Chronicle

28 minutes ago

• North Wales Chronicle

Cercene upstages Zarigana in Coronation Stakes

Billed as a clash between French 1,000 Guineas winner Zarigana and Owen Burrows' supplemented Falakeyah, it was the Irish outsider who stole the show to become the race's longest-priced winner at 33-1. Falakeyah's challenge faded tamely having raced keenly, but 6-4 favourite Zarigana looked prime to pounce in hands of Mickael Barzalona and in fact looked to briefly have passed Cercene. However, Irish 1,000 third Cercene was not to be denied and proved her Curragh performance was no fluke as she battled back to secure a half-length verdict. Murphy said: 'We always liked her. We left her a little longer but good fillies you always leave a little longer, you never put them over. 33/1! CERCENE WINS THE CORONATION STAKES! #ROYALASCOT — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 20, 2025 'He got her switched off, he's confident and he's ridden for me 17 years now. 'This is 50 years of work, that's what it is, of love and care, and all for the owners we have, all our people, it's just a whole group of people together. This is heaven on earth. 'It's a lifetime's ambition to have a Group One winner. She's by Australia – a sire I love – and her half-brother (Perotto) won the Britannia so the pedigree was there and if she was an inch bigger I wouldn't have her! 'I was hoping Lake Victoria stayed in because we'd have a lesser race and then we'd have pace and ride her easier, you know what I mean. 'She travelled well, Gary gave her a great ride, and we were thinking that being by Australia she'd stay as well. She was headed and came back again. She waited for something to head her, but she's very tough and a dream to train. The plan was today so now we'll draw new plans.' Carroll said: 'It's unbelievable. I've been riding a long time now and been placed in plenty of Group Ones. This is my first one and if I was ever to ride a Group One winner it was for Joe Murphy. 'I've been riding for him since I was a 7lb claimer and he's been very, very good to me so I'm delighted I can repay him. 'She ran a blinder at the Curragh where the slow pace didn't suit. We went a bit better gallop there today, got to the front a furlong and a half out and she waited, the French horse came and headed me; to be fair to this one she's not big but she's very tough and she stuck her head out for me. 'It's hugely satisfying to win a Group One. They're so hard to come by. Good horses are very hard to come by. To do this, Royal Ascot, magic. 'After the Guineas run, a better run race there she'd have finished closer again, I think she's taken a step forward from there and she's ultra-tough, she doesn't know when to give up.'

Wales Online

41 minutes ago

• Wales Online

Lions v Argentina referee James Doleman was caught up in 'throat-slitting' incident

Lions v Argentina referee James Doleman was caught up in 'throat-slitting' incident The British & Irish Lions kick off their summer schedule with a match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night Referee James Doleman (L) sends the Hurricanes' captain Ardie Savea to the sin-bin (Image: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images ) The British & Irish Lions get their summer under way tonight with a date against Argentina in Dublin. The 1888 Cup is on the line in the Irish capital and will be the first opportunity for players from the four unions to lay down a marker for starting spots in Australia next week. ‌ The Lions are playing three Tests against the Wallabies in a series which is really beginning to raise excitement levels. ‌ In charge of the game tonight is referee James Doleman, who made his Six Nations debut in 2023. Here's all you need to know about the New Zealand-born official. Who is James Doleman? Hailing from Tauranga, New Zealand, Doleman spent a significant part of his youth in the Philippines and China, starting his refereeing career while still a student. His first game was in 2007 at the age of 16, overseeing an under-nines match at a school tournament in Hong Kong, although he humbly confessed that his initial outing was "rubbish". After officiating the World Rugby Under-20 Championship final in 2019, he ascended to handling his first Super Rugby game in the subsequent year and made his international refereeing debut the year before he was selected for the Australia versus England Test series opener in 2022. Article continues below Doleman embraced his Six Nations refereeing debut at just 31 years old during England's second-round fight against Italy in 2023. Upon receiving the appointment, he shared with South China Morning Post: "It's one of those goals as a referee. Aside from the World Cup, the Six Nations is the pinnacle." He added: "Being involved in a tournament like that, with the history, coming from New Zealand, the fans up north make the Six Nations very special. At the end of the day, referees get into refereeing because we're fans of rugby. The reason I do it is to be involved in those occasions." Jones criticism However, Doleman faced criticism from England's former coach Eddie Jones after overseeing a match where England lost 30-28 to an Australian side that was one man down for more than 45 minutes. ‌ In a turn of events during the game, Australia's Darcy Swain was sent off for headbutting Jonny Hill, but despite this, the Wallabies managed to secure a significant lead and subsequently resisted England's late surge to claim their first victory over the Red Roses after eight previous defeats. Jones' team suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, leaving the coach visibly annoyed after the match. He suggested referee Doleman was "evening things up" for Australia following Swain's sending off, stating he had observed similar responses to red cards in the past. "That always happens," he proclaimed. "You look at the history of the game, whenever you get a red card the referee evens it up. That's normal and we've got to be good enough to handle it. ‌ "When you play against 14 men the referee has a significant impact on the game and you've got to be good enough to understand what that is and we weren't good enough to understand what that is. And therefore we paid the price." 'Throat-slitting' incident Doleman was at the heart of a shocking episode that sent ripples across rugby in 2023 when New Zealand's Ardie Savea made a chilling gesture at an opponent during a game. It occurred just prior to the interval in the Super Rugby tie between Melbourne Rebels and Savea's Hurricanes, when a massive scuffle erupted. It featured Dane Coles and Rebels second-rower Josh Canham going head-to-head, with both sides jumping in to calm the commotion. ‌ In the midst of the fracas, Savea forcefully knocked Rebels fly-half Carter Gordon to the ground, leading to a heated verbal exchange after which Gordon chose to walk away. Doleman, after conferring with his assistant referees Paul Williams and Graham Cooper, determined that while the initial tussle between Canham and Coles was nothing more than "push and shove", it was Savea who had indeed intensified the confrontation. Savea, who had already been penalised for another infringement, received a yellow card for his actions. He attracted ironic applause from Rebels scrum-half Ryan Louwrens as he left the field, triggering an incensed reaction from the back-rower, who gestured towards Louwrens with a throat-slitting motion. ‌ The commentary team was visibly shocked by Savea's gesture, and Doleman's microphone caught someone exclaiming: "He's threatening to f*****g kill him, he's threatening to kill him." Savea offered an apology post-match, conceding that his behaviour was not befitting for younger spectators. "I can understand the fans are furious with the gesture that I made," Savea explained to Sky Sports. "It's just a heat of the moment kind of thing, you know. It's footy, but I understand kids are watching us. Article continues below "We're in the heat of the moment and that's out of character for me, so I put my hand up first and apologise for that. I've got to be better, we're trying to clean up the game. I understand... there's no excuse for me, I've got to be better." Lions v Argentina officials Referee: James Doleman (NZ) Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) & Andrea Piardi (Ita) TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra) FPRO: Matteo Liperini (Ita)

The Independent

an hour ago

• The Independent

British and Irish Lions v Argentina live: Latest updates from opening tour match in Dublin

After four years of waiting, the British and Irish Lions tour is finally here, with Andy Farrell 's side beginning their 10-match itinerary by breaking new ground in Dublin. Argentina are the opening opponents for Farrell's squad as the Lions play on Irish soil for the first time as their preparations for the three-match Test series against the Wallabies intensify. The 38-man group will head to Australia this weekend but first face a tricky test at the Aviva Stadium against a Pumas side packed with quality, who will be looking to cause a shock as their predecessors so nearly managed to in a 25-all draw in Cardiff before the 2005 tour of New Zealand. Like many tour curtain-raisers, that game showcased the challenges a squad drawn from four unions faces in getting up to speed, though Farrell will nonetheless be hoping for a strong start. For the 23 selected, led by Maro Itoje, this is a first chance to stake a claim for Test selection as they look to thrill a close to capacity crowd. Lions vs Argentina live British and Irish Lions take on Argentina in opening tour fixture | Live on Sky Sports with kick off at 8pm Encounter in Dublin marks first time Lions have played on Irish soil Andy Farrell's squad head to Australia this weekend ahead of three Tests against the Wallabies Lions receive Tadhg Furlong fitness boost as team revealed for Argentina curtain-raiser There was good news for the Lions as Andy Farrell revealed his team on Wednesday with prop Tadhg Furlong passed fit to feature off the bench having been a slight injury concern for the tour. Lions get Tadhg Furlong fitness boost as team revealed for Argentina clash The Ireland prop has been battling a calf injury ahead of the tour Harry Latham-Coyle20 June 2025 17:00 British and Irish Lions vs Argentina The Lions tour is officially here! For the first time, the quadrennial tourists are set to play on Irish soil as they begin a 10-match itinerary with a clash against Argentina in Dublin, and the Pumas are likely to provide a tricky test for a squad still getting to know one another. Andy Farrell will be hoping for a strong start - can any of his opening 23 really stake a claim for Test selection? Kick off at the Aviva Stadium is at 8pm BST. Harry Latham-Coyle19 June 2025 08:26