The Questions To Be Answered In Welsh Rugby Shake-up

The 1 certainty from nan Welsh Rugby Union's "radical" plans for nan master crippled successful Wales is small will stay nan same.

The governing assemblage presented a 90-page archive connected Wednesday that will shingle up everything from academies, nan women's crippled and, of course, nan regions.

The WRU published 4 imaginable models and said keeping nan existent building - arsenic galore work together - is nary longer an action fixed nan slump successful Welsh rugby fortunes.

As nan Union bosses pressed their lawsuit for change astatine nan Principality Stadium, nan transportation was being resurfaced up of nan autumn internationals by which clip a last determination is due.

So what remains unanswered arsenic different seismic time looms?

This is nan cardinal mobility astatine nan forefront of each fans' thoughts and main executive Abi Tierney admitted nan process will wounded and "not everyone will beryllium happy".

The first determination is whether to person four, 3 aliases 2 master clubs and should they beryllium arsenic funded.

The WRU insists a last determination has not been made and will perceive to views successful nan consultation play starting 1 September.

Ideally, nan Union wants regions to travel to an statement via mergers but that looks unlikely.

In nan west, Ospreys are pressing connected pinch plans to redevelop St Helen's successful Swansea and Scarlets person announced caller investors.

In nan east, Cardiff are already owned by nan national while Dragons owners insists elite rugby "must stay successful Gwent".

Tierney suggested a tender process was imaginable if cutting to 2 was nan last prime - arsenic nan executive committee has recommended.

"Designing a strategy by statement is not a bully measurement to extremity up pinch an optimum solution," WRU head of rugby Dave Reddin told nan Scrum V podcast.

A determination is owed successful precocious October but nan timescale to instrumentality immoderate alteration is different chartless owed to nan various options.

Creating 2 caller entities, for example, would return acold longer than simply tinkering pinch nan backing for nan existent four.

"If nan WRU committee propose a 2 positive 2 exemplary and there's nary alteration to SRC (Super Rygbi Cymru) and very constricted build-out of nan infrastructure to support capacity successful Wales, that's going to beryllium beautiful easy to implement," said Chairman Richard Collier-Keywood.

"The 2 [club] exemplary is astir apt harder to implement."

All options see a committedness to proceed backing nan 4 regions nether nan existent information statement to 2027.

But if 2 teams are told successful October that they person nary early beyond 2027, would they fuss to proceed for different 2 seasons?

The purpose for a nationalist campus, meanwhile, is simply a semipermanent 1 fixed that location is presently nary location, plans aliases denotation of really it would beryllium financed.

The WRU is committed to nan United Rugby Championship for astatine slightest 2 much seasons and convention bosses are portion of nan consultation process.

Both nan convention and European competitions would beryllium impacted by changes successful Wales and powerfully for illustration an moreover number of Welsh sides, whether 4 aliases two.

Some fans person mooted nan anticipation of resurrecting nan infamous rebel play of 1998-99 erstwhile Swansea and Cardiff defied nan WRU and played clubs successful England.

But without nan governing body's funding, nan chances of immoderate region being allowed into, for example, Prem Rugby successful England are slim - and that is if English clubs wanted it.

WRU main executive Abi Tierney said: "The thought that 2 clubs that were nary longer supported by nan WRU could play successful nan English Premiership franchise, knowing what nan minimum standards that are required [in that league], it would beryllium very, very difficult. It's a spot of a reddish herring to propose that."

Even nan WRU's extremist changes would fixed 2 teams acold greater spending powerfulness than regions person now, they would not person melodramatic spending power.

The archive estimates a squad fund of £7.8m would beryllium "competitive to PRL and Top 14" rivals.

English clubs presently person a net headdress of £7.8m positive 1 marquee subordinate while nan French sides run pinch £9.2m, but pinch various exemptions and credits.

However, 2 Welsh clubs would still beryllium operating connected little than Irish and Scottish rivals.

The WRU would dream that different gains - shared training environments, support staff, academy set-ups - tin thief adjacent nan gap.

Wales players threatened to onslaught during nan 2024 Six Nations and nan WRU is eager to debar immoderate akin threat.

But each players successful Wales will kick-off nan caller play successful September unsure of their semipermanent future.

The governing assemblage has vowed to honour each contracts signed earlier May but a simplification to 2 teams would trim nan playing opportunities to 50 players each.

Coaches, backroom team, operations and management unit are besides each coping pinch uncertainty.

Cardiff listed 247 labor successful their astir caller accounts, Scarlets 164, Ospreys 119 and Dragons 106.

"Being capable to do it successful a transitioned and a managed measurement alternatively than an overnight way, we tin look astatine really we tin bring roles together and we tin redeploy roles," said Tierney.

"A batch of those teams are already to nan bone, you know, truthful there's opportunities for america to fortify those teams successful this caller model.

"But we tin do it successful a transitioned way, successful a managed way. Nobody wants to spot that number of group suffer their jobs overnight and person that level of uncertainty."

Ospreys are embarking connected a £5m revamp of St Helen's successful clip for nan 2026-27 play alongside Swansea Council.

But nan early of rugby successful nan westbound must beryllium sorted earlier nan gait of activity tin measurement up and Swansea council's nationalist backing is conditional.

Given Carmarthenshire assembly ain Parc y Scarlets and Cardiff Athletic Club are landlords of nan Arms Park, Dragons are nan only 1 of nan 4 existent regions to ain their ain ground.

Any changes could person a knock-on effect for Newport County, fixed nan League Two shot nine person a 10-year rolling lease for Rodney Parade, a request of nan English Football League.

Their £500,000-a-year rent arsenic good arsenic different sporting fixtures intends Rodney Parade would stay a viable stadium moreover without top-flight rugby.