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Wales Online
4 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
The people in the room who are now deciding Welsh rugby's future
The people in the room who are now deciding Welsh rugby's future There are a number of key stakeholders A significant Welsh rugby meeting will be held on Wednesday (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd ) Behind closed doors, the future structure of the professional game in Wales is being decided and all the signs are that big change is coming. The Welsh Rugby Union and its four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - are currently locked in discussions as to what the best way forward for Welsh rugby is. Just a few short months ago Welsh rugby was set to continue with four clubs but as it stands there is the very likely possibility of reducing to three or two professional sides, while a tiered funding model is also under consideration. A crucial Professional Rugby Board (PRB) meeting is set for Wednesday this week where the direction of travel is expected to become clearer. But who are the key players involved in shaping the direction of professional rugby in Wales? Here are the people in the room and influencing talks in the corridors of power. WRU and Cardiff Of course, WRU CEO Abi Tierney and chair Richard Collier-Keywood are key players here. As CEO the onus is on Tierney to reach a solution with the professional clubs to take to the WRU board for approval. Tierney had settled on a new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA25) which would have resulted in both fixed and an increased level of funding but crucially the debt acquired during Covid would also get refinanced. Article continues below All four sides were about to sign but the WRU's takeover of Cardiff after the club fell into administration changed everything. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. In the end the Dragons signed PRA 25 but both the Ospreys and Scarlets had serious doubts over the fairness of the union owning Cardiff, fearing they may turn the capital city club into a "super region" at the expense of the other three. They refused to sign, which prompted the WRU to activate the two-year notice clause on the previous PRA and set in motion big change. As a result, PRA 25 is off the table for the west Wales clubs and there is no going back, meaning a new structure for the professional game is in the offing. Tierney is tasked with coming up with the optimum structure for the professional game. The consistently poor performances of the men's national team who have lost a record 17 Test matches on the bounce will have financial ramifications for the rest of the game. As far as the WRU are concerned they have to find a way to get the national team winning consistently again because this pays for the rest of the game in Wales. With this in mind chief financial officer Leighton Davies, who is also the chief commercial officer, has a big part to play. The WRU needs to find the best model where it cannot just fund professional teams to survive but also give them the platform to thrive. It is accepted for the men's national team to get back to pre-2019 levels it needs professional teams competing for European silverware every season, which means the playing budgets need to be in the region of £9m, with significantly higher investment into the academies. Can they do this with four professional clubs? PRB chair Malcolm Wall - who is also on the WRU board - will also have a big role to play, while the likes of independent non-executive directors like Andrew Williams and Jamie Roberts will inevitably have a say. It would also be very strange if the WRU's new director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin was not also consulted. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. Reddin does not start in a permanent capacity until September but he is heavily involved in the search for a head coach and must surely have an opinion on what the optimum structure for Welsh rugby looks like. Dragons RFC The Dragons have signed PRA 25 which means they will have fixed and increased funding for the next three years. Historically they have been the weakest Welsh club but have the best balance sheet and own their own stadium. There are four key figures here in the ownership group which includes the chair David Wright along with David Buttress and Hoyoung Huh. Highly-rated CEO Rhys Blumberg also represents the Dragons on the PRA, so he is also a key figure here. Ospreys As the CEO, Lance Bradley has been the voice of the Ospreys for the past 18 months and has regularly fronted up to both supporters on social media and the press. Despite a period of huge uncertainty Bradley has moved to assure Ospreys supporters the redevelopment of St Helens will be going ahead. The Ospreys submitted a planning application a couple of weeks ago and intend to move into their new home by the end of the year. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free But given the WRU have called in the two-year notice on PRA 23, the future of both the Ospreys and Scarlets cannot be guaranteed. But when it comes to decision making at the Ospreys surrounding the new structure of Welsh rugby, majority shareholders Y11 Sport & Media, along with former chairman and significant funding director Rob Davies are the key players. Along with Davies, Y11 CEO James Davies-Yandle and its chief operating officer Nick Angio are thought to be important figures. Article continues below Scarlets Executive chairman James Davies-Yandle represents the Scarlets on the PRB and is a key figure in the current talks. The Scarlets board includes a number of key funding directors such as former chairmen Nigel Short, Ron Jones and Huw Evans along with Philip Davies. Scarlets managing director Jon Daniels is also an important figure given his extensive knowledge and experience of Welsh rugby's development pathways.
Wales Online
30-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
The options available for Welsh rugby after two-year notice period activated
The options available for Welsh rugby after two-year notice period activated Welsh rugby faces an uncertain few months with big changes afoot The Welsh Rugby Union will no longer allow four equally funded teams (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency ) The future of professional rugby in Wales is extremely uncertain after both the Ospreys and Scarlets refused to sign the new Professional Rugby Agreement. As a result, the Welsh Rugby Union issued a two-year notice on the old PRA which both clubs will remain on next season after Cardiff and the Dragons signed the new agreement. Next season, there will be a tiered funding model with Cardiff and the Dragons receiving more WRU payments than the west Wales clubs. But the long-term future of the professional game in Wales is up in the air with the WRU hoping to put a firm plan in place by September. The old PRA put back on the table for all four clubs The WRU are adamant the new PRA is off the table for both the Ospreys and Scarlets. In the new PRA, all four clubs were to see an increase in funding, would be funded equally, while the WRU would transfer their debts acquired during Covid onto its own balance sheet. But after the west Wales clubs refused to sign it after failing to meet the WRU's deadline, the governing body announced it would call in the two-year notice period on the old PRA and insisted it would no longer fund the four professional clubs equally. If the WRU were to go back, it would prove to be an extraordinary U-turn and the leadership of the governing body would be questioned. But might a public outcry and pressure from politicians within the Ospreys and Scarlets regions force the WRU to reconsider its position? Nothing is out of the question but it does seem highly unlikely as things stand. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Financially things have changed, with the WRU now requiring the funding directors at the professional clubs to contribute £41m over five years as opposed to the £22m it initially asked. Also, it had hoped to secure what would have been a lucrative Anglo-Welsh conference if PRL had combined with the United Rugby Championship. The poor performance of the men's national side has also hit the WRU hard, while national insurance contributions have risen and media rights are down. A club goes bust If the WRU want to go down to three, the easiest solution would be to scrap Cardiff given they own the capital city club. But not having a professional club in Wales' capital city is commercial lunacy, while they are also currently the best supported Welsh side and have an extremely strong brand. In the old PRA, the professional clubs win with the union and they lose with the union, whereas in the new one there is fixed funding for three years. Any upside in the WRU's profit goes to the professional clubs but if the governing body underachieves financially that hurts the clubs. This is the deal the Ospreys and the Scarlets will be on next season. As it stands, both the Ospreys and Scarlets will be operating with playing budgets of under £5m next season, but the biggest issue is any potential WRU clawbacks. The PRA they are on includes an underperformance clause, so for example if the WRU lost £4m last year, both the Ospreys and the Scarlets would be subject to clawbacks. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free For example, the WRU could demand money is returned - depending on the terms of the contract - or it could decide to issue a lower payment. Also, on top of this, they have to repay the CLBILS loan taken out during Covid, which is no longer a burden on the shoulders of Cardiff or the Dragons. But even if this was the case, both clubs would survive as long as their funding directors continue to cover any losses. By not signing PRA 25, the future of both clubs in the west has been thrown into doubt. If one club goes to the wall then the WRU could decide not to assume ownership and Welsh rugby would be down to three professional clubs. Or if two went bust, they could assume ownership of one club by playing out of either Parc y Scarlets or St Helen's. Mergers The other option is for the Ospreys and Scarlets to merge. In theory, this would create a strong side which should be able to compete in the latter stages of both the United Rugby Championship and European competitions - but it is not as straightforward as that. If two companies merge, it is usually the case they take on each other's debt which would put any new entity on the backfoot. But a large amount of their debt is actually owed to the WRU, so might the union offer to write it off if they both merge? Nothing is out of the question at this stage. Of course, another radical solution would be to merge the Ospreys with Cardiff given the capital city club is owned by the WRU. A permanent tiered funding model Tiered funding models are not a new invention and were prevalent during Project Reset with the Scarlets receiving more than the other clubs based on performance. But for the clubs to be competitive at the cutting edge of competitions it would likely need to be a very aggressive model to work. However, the biggest barrier to success in this regard is the fact three of the four professional clubs are private businesses. Who is going to accept semi-skimmed status? The answer is nobody. Could you imagine the Ospreys being one of the lowest two and losing players like Jac Morgan, Dewi Lake or Dan Edwards to the Dragons? They would not stand for it unless they had no other choice. Welsh rugby's culture and ownership model makes this unlikely to work in the long run. Why would the WRU want a reduction of professional clubs? The WRU are considering a reduction to three professional clubs, while going down to two is also not out of the question. If Wales was to go down to three clubs it would concentrate both money and talent into three teams which in theory should drive up standards. For too long, the emphasis in Welsh rugby has been on quantity over quality. The current structure spreads playing talent too thinly. A reduction to three teams would concentrate that talent, improve squad depth, and, in theory, drive up standards across the board. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. It would also create greater accountability, with players forced to fight harder for places, contracts and game-time — a dynamic that invariably sharpens performance. Such a move wouldn't just be financially motivated but there is a strong rugby argument behind it. Also, is this really how professional sport should work and imagine trying to sell season tickets and attracting sponsors as one of the plus two. Legal action Of course, this could drag on for a significant amount of time if the two clubs in the west decide to take legal action. The clubs may complain there has been an abuse of the WRU's dominant position and that this amounts to anti-competitive behaviour. Some might also argue there is a lack of contractual fairness and equity in this whole process. Article continues below The WRU would inevitably counter such accusation by saying they offered the exact same deal to the Ospreys and Scarlets as they did to the other two professional clubs. But if this goes legal, it could prolong this whole saga and the WRU's hopes of putting a solution in place by September would just be a case of wishful thinking.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Strictly's Wynne Evans' hidden heartbreak and way he found out about axe
Wynne Evans has opened up on how he found out he had been axed from the Strictly Come Dancing tour - just days after he lost his brother Wynne Evans has spoken out about his axe from the Strictly Come Dancing tour - and 'how' he found out about his axe after comments towards professional dancer Janette Manrara. During this time, the star says he was a "grieving mess" after losing his older brother Huw. The opera singer was axed from the live tour earlier this year after he made a crude remark about the dancer. It came after a a video emerged of him saying 'spit-roast' at a Strictly photocall which, it was claimed, was in relation to Janette. After the video was released of the star making the comment, the 53-year-old released a statement apologising for his words. "My language was inappropriate and unacceptable, for which I sincerely apologise," a statement from Evans read. Wynne was axed from the tour and suspended from the BBC just two days after the original story ran - on his 53rd birthday (January 27). However, the star claims he learnt through reading the article in the Sun and later discovered his BBC pass had been deactivated with no warning. A BBC Studios spokesperson said: 'Any statement issued on Wynne Evans' behalf was fully approved by Wynne Evans.' Evans now tells the Sun that the comment "absolutely wasn't meant sexually - and the fact I used 'boy', all right it's nuanced, but it shows I was talking to Jamie, NOT Janette." Wynne revealed that at the time, his phone was blowing up with calls from his team, the tour team and Strictly team, in which he said: "Oh god, I'm so sorry." Wynne claims this was taken as a formal apology and released by the press team. He also claims he was "horrified" when he read the apology within the context of the story as it had been written, saying it "validated" the story. On January 28, Wynne took to his Instagram to release his own apology, which said: "I've agreed with the BBC that I'll take some time out from my radio show and the Strictly Live tour, as well as my other public commitments, to prioritise my wellbeing. "I am deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate actions have caused, and plan to take this time for self-reflection. "Apologies to those I won't get to see at the remaining performances and I'm grateful to my fellow tour gang for all the amazing support they have given me." Just two days before the photocall, Wynne tragically lost his brother Huw, and said he was "a grieving mess". On January 8, the star paid tribute to his "gorgeous eldest brother" Huw, as he announced his death. "I'm so sad to say that my gorgeous eldest brother has passed away. My big brother was my hero and my inspiration," Wynne wrote on Instagram. "Huw my darling I will miss you so much and am so glad I got to have you with me all my life," the opera singer emotionally concluded. Wynne has also came under fire during the live shows last year, after it was noticed that he placed his hand on Katya's waist - which she immediately removed. After, the duo took to social media to claim their exchange was simply an "inside" joke and wasn't to be taken seriously. Now, Wynne has explained the "inside" joke further, telling the publication that the pair agreed to take part in a bod language experiment to see if people noticed.
Wales Online
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Six Nations announce first Thursday night fixture and Friday Wales match as tournament cut
Six Nations announce first Thursday night fixture and Friday Wales match as tournament cut There will be a series of firsts in next year's tournament Wales will play Ireland in Dublin on a Friday night (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency ) Wales will play a Friday night Six Nations match in Dublin for the first time next year, while the 2026 tournament will also see its first Thursday night game as the fixtures were revealed. Only France and Wales have hosted Friday night matches in the Six Nations since they were first introduced in 2009. But, with broadcasters seemingly favouring them, this year's tournament will see Ireland try their hand at hosting for the first time in their round 4 clash with Wales at the Aviva Stadium. Given how France have taken to Friday night clashes, having started the tournament this year by hosting Warren Gatland's side in Paris, it's unsurprising they will have the honour of the tournament's first Thursday night match - with the tournament kicking off with an 8.10pm clash between France and Ireland on Thursday, February 5. The venues for France's home fixtures have yet to be confirmed, with it currently unclear where the first Thursday match in the Six Nations will take place. Wales' tournament starts with a bang too, as they head to Twickenham to take on England on Saturday, February 7 - having finished this year's tournament with a record 68-14 defeat to their closest rivals. The opening weekend's other fixture sees Italy welcome Scotland to Rome. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Article continues below Wales then take on France in Cardiff on the second weekend in a Sunday fixture, before hosting Scotland at the Principality Stadium the following weekend Next year's tournament has been cut by a week, with just one rest weekend and the first three rounds taking place on successive weekends. After the solitary break, Wales then travel to Dublin for the Friday night clash with Ireland. Ireland have hosted Friday night games before, playing New Zealand and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in the autumn. Wales have also played there on a Friday night too, although that was behind closed doors during the autumn of 2020. Super Saturday sees Wales host Italy on March 14, sandwiched between Ireland's clash with Scotland and England's trip to France. Six Nations 2026 fixtures in full All kick-off times GMT Round 1 France v Ireland - Thursday 5 February - 8.10pm Italy v Scotland - Saturday 7 February - 2.10pm England v Wales - Saturday 7 February - 4.40pm Round 2 Ireland v Italy - Saturday 14 February - 2.10pm Scotland v England - Saturday 14 February - 4.40pm Wales v France - Sunday 15 February - 3.10pm Round 3 England v Ireland - Saturday 21 February - 2.10pm Wales v Scotland - Saturday 21 February - 4.40pm France v Italy - Sunday 22 February - 3.10pm Round 4 Ireland v Wales - Friday 6 March - 8.10pm Scotland v France - Saturday 7 March - 2.10pm Italy v England - Saturday 7 March - 4.40pm Round 5 Ireland v Scotland - Saturday 14 March - 2.10pm Article continues below Wales v Italy - Saturday 14 March - 4.40pm France v England - Saturday 14 March - 8.10pm
Metro
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
BBC 'warned about disgraced presenter Huw Edwards as far back as 2012'
The BBC received a complaint about disgraced presenter Huw Edwards more than a decade ago in 2012, it has been reported. News anchor Edwards, 63, had been one of the corporation's biggest names and highest-paid presenters before his fall from grace last year. In September, he was spared prison and handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children. An hour before Edwards appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court, a former BBC employee reportedly warned director-general Tim Davie that a complaint about the Welsh newsreader had been lodged in 2012. An email is said to have informed the BBC boss, 58, that 'it was not necessarily a criminal allegation' and was unable to provide 'real specifics' but wanted him to be aware the complaint 'existed.' According to emails obtained by a Freedom of Information request by The Sunday Times, David responded minutes later and said he would share the information 'in confidence' with the team. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The former employee indicated that the complaint most likely fell under BBC's 'C-list' category. These are complaints that are 'no-high-risk-action', meaning they are not criminal, but could include bullying and harassment. A former BBC employee told The Sunday Times: 'The BBC was completely overwhelmed with complaints at the time — we were ill-prepared for the deluge and some of it was people with grudges, settling grievances. 'But this raises the question of whether this complaint about Huw was adequately scrutinised, given that his career continued to soar as he took over more election coverage and had such a prominent role in all the state occasions.' The outlet claimed that the BBC was still 'chasing' the £200,000 salary Edwards received after he was arrested. Emails obtained claim Edwards said he would return part of the money in November, but has not yet done so. In response, the BBC told The Sunday Times it had 'a longstanding position not to comment on any internal HR matter.' Metro has also reached out to the BBC and Edwards' rep for comment. Last month, BBC chairman Samir Shah issued a personal plea to Edwards to repay his salary. 'Frankly, if Huw is listening to this: Give it back, Huw, just give it back. Really, just give it back. You know you should and you should do it,' Dr Shah told Times Radio. He added: 'We've been asking him and asking him and asking him. We're getting legal advice on it.' It is not the only time the BBC has called to see the money returned. More Trending In August 2024, the BBC Board said: 'Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money.' 'He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.' Edwards was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years in September. His sentence also included 25 rehabilitation sessions, sex offender treatment for 40 days, seven years on the sex offenders register and £3,000 in prosecution costs. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Gary Lineker to leave BBC early and not present World Cup after antisemitism controversy MORE: Eddie Marsan explains truth behind his 'Kentucky accent' in devastating BBC drama MORE: 'I'm 77 but Rose Ayling-Ellis' experiment has turned me into a big kid'
