Scarlets chief Simon Muderack has refused to completely rule out a merger with the Ospreys but insisted the focus must be on finding a way to retain four Welsh professional teams.
Talk of a possible merger between the two regions, or even forming a new franchise in the west, has surfaced previously amid the ongoing debate over the future structure of Welsh rugby.
But Muderack believes the starting point should be trying to keep all four, rather than simply looking at potential mergers or the creation of new teams.
Scarlets chief: Welsh rugby in a tough place
“Welsh rugby is in a tough place. Not just because of decisions made yesterday, but because of decisions made 10 years ago. And it might take another 10 years to get out of it,” he told the Guardian.
“But it has to start with an open and honest conversation about what the real position is. And that conversation has to start with: ‘What do we have to do to keep four teams?’”
Asked specifically about the possibility of a Scarlets-Ospreys merger, Muderack insisted the landscape has changed since a previous mooted merger almost happened in 2019 and was categoric in his dismissal of the idea the WRU could create an entirely new franchise in the west.
Merger dismissed, new franchise ruled out
“I would never say never,” he said when asked about a merger.
“But I think the world has moved on from that,” he said.
“And what I certainly don’t think makes any sense at all is a new franchise. Along the lines of a West Wales Warriors.”
The Scarlets will be part of a rugby summit over the coming months that will finally decide the future direction of Welsh rugby, with one team set to be axed in the west. The WRU still hopes a consensus can be reached but a difficult decision will ultimately have to be made if no agreement on the way forward can be reached.
French clubs push for 16-team Champions Cup
French clubs are backing a move to reduce the Champions Cup to 16 teams to make the competition more “elitist”.
French and English clubs had previously supported plans to scrap the pool stages of the European competition and make the tournament a straight 16-team knockout format.
That would decrease the number of teams involved at the outset by eight - from 24 to 16 - with the early rounds of the new format played over two legs to increase jeopardy.
The competition's current guise is set in place until 2030, but should enough clubs vote through changes it well be altered sooner.
Up until now, the discussions had taken place in private, but the French have now spoken out publicly, The Times report.
“We are in favour of having a more elite European competition, maybe by coming down to 16 clubs rather than 24, so we have only very high-level matches,” said Yann Roubert, the president of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, the governing body that runs the Top 14 and second-tier Pro D2 in France.
“That can be discussed within EPCR [European Professional Club Rugby], because it is obviously within the EPCR that it must be decided with our English partners and the URC.”
With fewer European weekends, it would be proposed to move the start of the competition from October to January. Under the current proposals, the second-tier Challenge Cup would come down in size from 24 to 16 teams too.
A potential stumbling block is the involvement of South African teams, which, according to the Times, "is largely unpopular with the French and English sides".
“For the moment, they [South African clubs] haven’t made it to the semi-finals. We never know what happened, because for sure they’ve got the players to succeed,” Roubert added.
“We will have to talk within EPCR to see about the future. We’ve got formats that exist until 2030, and then within EPCR we will talk about how it should evolve, and this is where we might think of being a bit more selective, elitist.”
Cardiff Rugby qualified for this year's Champions Cup, with the Ospreys, Scarlets and Dragons in the Challenge Cup.
Wales duo re-sign at Saracens
Saracens have retained Wales internationals Georgia Evans and Donna Rose after another successful season for the JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby champions.
Evans, 29, joined the London club in 2020 and has established herself as a key figure, capable of playing across the second row and back row.
She made her 50th Wales appearance last weekend against the USA Women’s Eagles in Cardiff and featured 17 times for Saracens last season as they lifted the PWR title for the first time since 2022.
Saracens director of rugby Alex Austerberry praised Evans’ versatility as she closes in on 100 appearances for the club.
“Georgia is approaching 100 games for the club. This is testament to her quality as a player,” he said. “Busy at the breakdown, intense around the park and the ultimate competitor.”
Rose joined Saracens in 2019 from Trojans Rugby Club, where she made more than 150 appearances, having previously worked as a carpenter.
The 30-year-old was converted from back row to tighthead prop and made her Wales debut in 2021. She has since represented Wales at two Women’s Rugby World Cups.
Austerberry described Rose as “a very physical player” who plays with “incredible heart, passion and industry”.
