WRU cut plans affecting investment and recruitment - Ospreys chief

Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley says Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) proposals which could halve the number of professional teams is already affecting investment and player recruitment.

The WRU has put forward four models for consultation but believes cutting the number of teams from four to two is the "radical step" needed to save the game in Wales.

It has not said whether that would involve mergers between the current regions - Dragons, Cardiff, Ospreys and Scarlets - or new entities.

Swansea-based Ospreys say they are already being affected by the uncertainty.

"It does make the business side of things challenging, whether the business side is attracting new sponsors or renewing player contracts or attracting people to come and work for you," Bradley told the BBC.

"We've got some great business partners but there's no doubt that there have been cases where business partners or potential business partners have certainly queried what's happened - and certainly queried whether now is the time to get involved, or would rather wait until there's some certainty."

Ospreys have their first pre-season fixture at Hartpury on 6 September and while they already have a squad assembled for the new United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign, Bradley agrees future recruitment for all the regions will be difficult.

"We are fortunate at Ospreys, there is a high degree of loyalty and people, especially the local guys who have grown up wanting to support Ospreys, wanting to play for Ospreys, are willing to work with us to continue to play for us," he said.

"But when we're talking about attracting other players to the clubs, of course, the question about what's going to happen in a year, two years, three years' time, it inevitably comes up in those discussions."

Ospreys themselves have also committed to playing at St Helen's in Swansea, having earlier this month agreed to finalise a long-term lease on the stadium, after quitting their ground-share at the Swansea.com Stadium with the city's football team.

While St Helen's is being redeveloped, home games for the upcoming season will be played at the Brewery Field in Bridgend.

Former Osprey Joe Hawkins will play for Scarlets in 2025-26, returning to Wales two years after joining English club Exeter.

The 22-year-old Wales centre does not agree with the WRU's preferred option for the future.

"I think everyone agrees change is needed, but going down to two from four [teams] seems very short-sighted," Hawkins wrote on X.

"It will definitely increase squad quality and maybe success short term but probably at the cost of the little fans Welsh rugby has left walking away, which will kill the game, and even more players heading to England at a young age due to lack of playing opportunities.

"What happens then in five years when there is no fans and all the best young players are over the [Severn] bridge with no one coming through?

"Also, as a player, if two new teams are made then who wants to play for a team with no history and no loyal and passionate supporters? All the best Welsh players will want that and find it outside of Wales."

Hawkins' sentiment is one shared by former British and Irish Lion Dafydd James, who was part of the axed Celtic Warriors side when the number of regions was cut from the original five to the current four in 2004.

"I feel for the players... not knowing financially where they're going to be," James told Radio Wales' Drive programme.

"They've got mortgages, they've got livelihoods and different things to assess, so it's very difficult."

However, the ex-Wales wing is among those who agree a change is needed.

"It's very disappointing the way that things have gone," the 50-year-old added. "We've said this for years that it was a house of cards built on sand, the foundations.

"We've done exceptionally well for what we had with the structures in place and it hasn't worked out financially.

"It needs to change dramatically in order to try and encourage players to play the game, to take up the game rather than go to football or other sports, and to get the support back and where Wales need to be on the rugby level."

While the WRU has said that its preferred solution is two professional sides, its proposals include four options in total:

A consultation period will begin on 1 September before a recommendation is sent in mid-October to the WRU board to make a final decision that month.

Former Wales centre Tom Shanklin wrote on X that he was in favour of "four regions, larger pathways and a bigger pool to identify young talent."

Shanklin does accept two professional teams will "hopefully increase results domestically".

But the 45-year-old added: "The main issue is the next generation of players coming through. They need investment, coached and developed to a very high standard so that we don't find ourselves in the same situation in 10 years' time."

Former Wales wing Alex Cuthbert, 35, speaking on the Scrum V podcast, advocated for three teams.

"We've been sat here and we've asked for change haven't we and it's come," he said.

"But whether you're moving the needle from one extreme to the other and I think whether they're going too far in terms of straight to two?"

The ex-Cardiff, Exeter and Ospreys back added: "Everyone's going to have their opinion, whether it's fans, stakeholders, players, and they've go to listen because everyone could just turn up and say 'this is a load of rubbish' and where do they go then?

"They [the WRU] obviously back themselves or they have to go back to the drawing board, so I think the important thing they have in this consultation period is they have to be responsive to the cultural values of Wales and Welsh rugby."

There is certainly a commitment to the consultation process and engaging in dialogue at Ospreys. Bradley is another who accepts something has to change but hopes for clarity as soon as possible.

"Welsh rugby can't carry on as it is," he added.

"The national team suffered 18 losses in a row, the club teams are underfunded and not enjoying the sort of success that has been the case in the past, so we can't keep on doing what we're doing.

"In an ideal world it would have been done more quickly and perhaps behind closed doors, although you do want to get fans input to what's going on. So that's difficult to achieve.

"But the sooner that we can get something sorted the better because what we all really want to do is to enjoy the product that we produce, and we want everybody around us to enjoy the product that we produce."

While the WRU has not indicated its preferred locations for clubs or names - and insists no decision has yet been made - one possible avenue to reducing the number of teams would be to see regions merge.

Ospreys and Scarlets have previously had discussions about joining forces, but at this stage of the current proposals Bradley would not discuss that possibility.

"I'm not going to speculate on that," he said.

"I would say that our games against the Scarlets are our biggest games of the season. We are fierce rivals and it's always the biggest gate, so it would undoubtedly be a shame if that game was lost to us and to Scarlets and to the rugby public.

"But we have to keep our eyes on the prize and look at what the best solution for Welsh rugby overall is."