The future of four equally-funded professional clubs in Wales is currently under intense scrutiny
The BKT United Rugby Championship say they are supporting the Welsh Rugby Union amid the ongoing process of moving away from four equally-funded professional sides in Wales.
Last month saw the WRU announced there will no longer be four equally funded teams after the Ospreys and Scarlets decided against signing up to the new Professional Rugby Agreement. Both refused to agree to it over a lack of clarity around the WRU’s recent takeover of Cardiff, meaning the future of four professional clubs in Wales is now under intense scrutiny after the WRU served a two-year notice on the current financial model.
The latest dramatic development in Welsh rugby means the WRU are now seriously considering reducing the number of professional sides to three, or even two. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
That would have a major impact on the URC, but URC chief executive Martin Anayi says the league are in constant dialogue with the WRU over the situation.
“The WRU are contractually obliged but they are a shareholder of the league and we talk to them all the time about what is best for Welsh rugby,” said Anayi.
“What we really want is competitive Welsh regions and ultimately how you get that, what resourcing does that need in the modern environment and what resourcing is available in Wales.
“Strategically for them what does the high performance pathway look like, how do you create a talent pathway, how do you engage with with Super Rygbi Cymru, those are all part of the competition.
“We are there to support our shareholders and that is the Welsh Rugby Union. While we have a contract with them we also want the best for them.
“Having Welsh regions winning our league again will no doubt add to it and probably what has been missing since the Scarlets did that in 2017.
“You can see our main emphasis is getting successful regions and supporting the WRU to get that.”
As for whether contingency plans are in place were Wales to reduce the number of teams in the URC, Anayi added: “The WRU is our guarantor of our teams. There is no sort of issue with it happening tomorrow or the integrity of the league.
“Any movements with the number of teams needs to be agreed by everybody and will be planned. We won’t see teams suddenly dropping out.
“The positive about having a Union ownership group is the unions are there to stand over those teams and to support us with those teams for as long as we both collectively want them there.
“If there is a movement for less teams in Wales, as requested and directed by the WRU, and if we can support that, it will be managed over a period of time. It won’t be instant.” Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
In the past, the WRU have pointed to the financial penalties they would face from the URC as one of the reasons behind sticking with four clubs.
Naturally, with the reduction to three teams now looking more likely than ever before following the WRU’s serving of the two-year notice period on the old PRA, more clarity has been offered on what a penalty would look like.
“There isn’t a fine per se,” explained Anayi. “We would need to agree for them, as a URC board and the other shareholders, that three was the right number and that they can go to three.
“There would need to be an agreement. That can’t be unilateral.
“What we’re trying to do is work with the Welsh Rugby Union to work out what do they want to do and is there a way that all the shareholders can agree to that over what period of time?
“That’s the process we’re in at the moment. There can’t be a unilateral decision taken. There has to be an agreement.
“It has to be managed over a period of time. That’s because we have contracts and integrity of the league to protect as well.”
In terms of what would happen were the other shareholders of the league to not agree to a reduction in Welsh clubs, Anayi said that it was a “hypothetical that we don’t believe will come into play”.
“We don’t foresee that we’ll get into that scenario because we’re engaging with the WRU all the time,” he added.
