Tonight's rugby news as first Wales international speaks out to slam WRU cut proposal
The latest headlines from Wales and around the world
Joe Hawkins (left), has had his say on the WRU proposal
(Image: © Huw Evans Picture Agency)
These are your evening rugby headlines on Wednesday, August 20.
Wales international speaks out
Wales international Joe Hawkins has become the first player to speak out against the Welsh Rugby Union's proposal to cut from four to two teams. Hawkins, who has just returned from Exeter to sign for the Scarlets, fears players and fans will walk away from the game if the suggested plan goes through in October.
Hawkins described the WRU's optimal solution as "short-sighted", suggesting the loss of regional fans could "kill the game". His statement on X comes after players were informed of the proposal on Tuesday ahead of the formal announcement on Wednesday.
It's understood the Welsh Rugby Players' Association has urged its stars to fully engage with the process over the coming weeks and air their views.
"I think everyone agrees change is needed, but going down to two from four 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.
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'What happens then in five years when there is no fans and all the best young players are over the 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.'
Under the two-team proposal the number of professional players in Wales will be greatly reduced, with 50 places available in each of the teams, compared to around 170 that exist across the four regions currently.
Welsh region respond to WRU plan
The first of Wales' four regions has responded to the publication of the Welsh Rugby Union's consultation document, which has publicly put forward a radical cut to just two professional teams.
The optimal solution has been presented by WRU bosses, sparking a six-week consultation that will see the regions, players and other stakeholders have their say on what is being proposed. While other possibilities, such as three teams and tiered funding will be part of discussions, the union has laid out its preferred option of just two clubs, each with a men's and women's side.
The public declaration on Wednesday comes amid the Ospreys, Scarlets and Dragons all maintaining they have no intention of going anywhere, with mergers seeming an unlikely outcome. Cardiff, of course, are currently owned by the WRU after being rescued from administration earlier this year.
Now, the Ospreys have issued a statement - the first team to respond to what has been laid out. Despite the threat that has been looming in recent weeks, they are ploughing on with plans to redevelop St Helen's and insist they have a bright future.
A statement on Wednesday read: "We have reviewed the WRU's consultation document and welcome the opportunity to engage constructively in this process. There are some interesting ideas within it, including options that we feel hold real potential, alongside others that present more challenges.
"We look forward to working closely with the WRU and all stakeholders to help shape a system that serves the best interests of the Ospreys, our supporters, and the wider Welsh game. Details will follow shortly for a supporters' evening, where we will share more of our views and, importantly, listen to the views of our supporters."
Rugby returns to Wembley
South Africa will take on Japan at Wembley Stadium this autumn in the first rugby union match played at the venue in nine years.
The reigning world champions will face Eddie Jones' side on November 1, in what is a rematch of the Brave Blossoms' iconic win over the Springboks at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which is widely regarded as one of the sport's biggest ever upsets.
It will be the first time rugby has been played at Wembley since South Africa drew 31-31 with the Barbarians in 2016.
"The game in Brighton 10 years ago changed rugby in Japan from being a minor sport to a boom sport," said Jones. "Playing against the Boks is the dream of every young Japanese player."
Meanwhile, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus said: "We are delighted to be starting off our tour of the Northern Hemisphere with a match against Japan at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
'The Brave Blossoms are renowned for playing fast, attacking, high-tempo rugby – which has been prevalent in our last two encounters, before and during the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019.'
After kicking off a packed autumn campaign against Japan, South Africa will take on France the following week before travelling to Italy, Ireland and Wales on a five-match tour.
England international backs URC's US expansion
Former England international Nick Easter has backed the incorporation of United States-based teams into the United Rugby Championship, but says they should be brought in in place of South African sides.
The URC looks set to undergo a big shake-up due to the WRU's intention to cut two of Wales' professional sides, with it being reported that the league is in talks to potentially replace those teams with US franchises.
The league last expanded in 2021 when four South African teams - the Bulls, Stormers, Lions and Sharks - joined the competition, which previously featured teams from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy.
Easter, who now works as the US Eagles' forwards and defence coach, has welcomed the idea of incorporating US-based teams into the league, and says the "best outcome" would be for those sides to replace the South African franchises.
"It's good that the URC has shown interest in trying to get a couple of teams into that league," he told RugbyPass. "For me, the best outcome for the URC would be the South African teams going back to join Super Rugby and create more of those fantastic games and not be a part of European rugby.
"Then keep the URC as Europe and the US teams because you need to grow the sport in North America, and that funding and exposure are needed over here.
'Of course, in terms of quality, the MLR is nowhere near the URC, and it may be that teams from the US would pull together their funds so they could get better players plus the top Eagles talent with the best coaches.
'The possibility I have been hearing over the last couple of weeks is that Super Rugby wants the California Legion, as they are on the Pacific Coast, and Chicago Hounds, having been approached, and probably the Free Jacks for the URC," the Harlequins legend added.
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'What you have with those two Eastern teams is the Irish influence, and you will get Irish supporters flying in to Chicago and Boston for matches, along with ex-pats putting bums on seats. From the California side of things, there is a big Pacific Islands community that could be attracted to matches."
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The Herald Scotland
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The nuclear button has been pressed but WRU must now get out of the URC
The nuclear button has been pressed but WRU must now get out of the URC The WRU has laid its cards on the table with a radical plan. Steffan Thomas looks at the potential holes in it Picture shows (from left) Richard Collier-Keywood, WRU chairman, Dave Reddin, WRU director of rugby and elite performance and Abi Tierney, WRU chief executive (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd) The Welsh Rugby Union hit the nuclear button yesterday when it put forward proposals to cut the number of professional teams in Wales by half. A formal consultation process will begin in September where the WRU will consult with a number of key stakeholders including the current four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - along with supporters, present and former players and the Welsh Rugby Players' Association. The WRU believe radical change is needed to drag the game in Wales out of the doldrums along with providing the platform to win the Six Nations and become "genuine wild-card World Cup winners" in the future. But a reduction to two teams is the WRU's optimal option; this could change during the consultation process where there is likely to be significant kick-back. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. After a press conference which lasted well over an hour at the Principality Stadium yesterday and a document of more than 100 pages there remain questions which need answering. Steffan Thomas has been through the document to pick out the key points, issues and questions, as he sees it. What is the optimal solution? The optimal solution focuses on two clubs with a men's and women's team. Each squad will consist of 50 senior players and operate with playing budgets of £7.8m, while there will only be room for two non-Welsh qualified players in each side. It favours a heavily centralised system in line with the New Zealand model. In terms of the ownership model the WRU wants control of all rugby operations with the current investors taking charge of the commercial element of the club. In its own words the WRU wants "unified management and contracting of all elite players (professional men's and women's teams, national team and national academy) to align decisions on selection and talent development with players and clubs". The union insists "that PRA-style arrangements are a particularly challenging choice due to an inherent mismanagement between stakeholder objectives". In other words there is a significant lack of trust between the WRU and the four professional clubs with both parties often pulling in different directions. The WRU sees this as an opportunity to "optimise collaboration" if it can seize control of all rugby operations. Controversially it wants to build a new national campus and base the two professional clubs there. In terms of players development the main point put forward is the return of a national academy-style system and significant investment being poured into Super Rygbi Cymru. The idea behind the two-club scenario is to concentrate talent which in turn creates more competition for contracts and starting places. It's a case of elitism on steroids, with the aim of driving up standards on and off the field. Is there likely to be pushback during the consultation and what might change? Having spoken to numerous high-ranking sources within the game there will be significant pushback. Clearly clubs are going to be fighting for their lives and the first priority will be survival. On that note we do not yet know whether the WRU will simply scrap two teams or create two new entities with new branding. Under the proposed optimal system private investors are still required to pour in £17m, which amounts to £1m a year. But why would any private investor want to pour money into a club if the WRU have complete control over player contracting and development? The original PRA25 involved circa £125m worth of WRU funding over five years, while their new 'optimal solution' of two teams results in £94 worth of WRU payments. But where is the remaining £26m? That has not been accounted for but may well be kept back to invest into a new national campus, the SRC and academy system. There will also be significant investment into improving the women's game, while competition income will likely decrease with a reduction of teams, as might broadcasting income. They have also spent £6m on a roof walk, while the cost of assuming ownership of Cardiff also has to be taken into consideration There is £121m worth of investment with the three equally-funded club solutions and £116m if they go to three teams under a tiered funding model. Private investors are required to put in £25m if it's four teams, £21m with three unequally funded teams, £21m with three in a tiered funding model and £17m if they reduce to two. The academy budget per club is £800k in every mode. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free They are now also proposing a salary cap of £7.8m-£8m in the optimal solution which is only marginally better than where they are now. This is close to the Gallagher PREM cap but short of some of their competitors in the United Rugby Championship. It seems they are hoping to drive a harder bargain with Welsh talent with limited number of overseas player spots at clubs in England and France. This is likely to be enough to be significantly more competitive if talent is concentrated into two teams, although to really compete in the latter stages of the Champions Cup it will need to be higher. Another area where there will certainly be a significant amount of pushback is with the idea of having two teams training at the same national campus. The WRU's director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin was quick to stress both teams would have separate team rooms at the facility and different identities. But there are many within the game who believe this is anti-competitive, with professional sport all about different styles and cultures. Union-owned sides allow for far greater control from the national coach and potentially greater cohesion in terms of on-field partnerships and playing styles, especially if the majority of the national squad are concentrated into two teams. But it is arguably not the job of the WRU to own and control its teams, but rather to facilitate the growth of the game in Wales. Union-owned teams are arguably anti-sport and is one of the reasons the URC is an inferior competition to the French Top 14 and the Gallagher PREM. Can the new 'optimal structure' win over supporters? This remains to be seen but the reaction has not been a positive one on social media. Wales has a club-based history and it is a very tribal nation so the very idea of creating two new teams is not going to go down well. There were hints during the media interviews this week the WRU saw the SRC as the "heritage league" where tribalism can thrive and old rivalries can continue. While this has not been confirmed they may prefer to have an East and West team playing in the professional game with the current four clubs downgraded to SRC level. Reading between the lines they may view a fan supporting east Wales the same as a Cardiff fan now supporting Wales. If they can be successful and challenge for silverware then they will attract supporters. But this is highly unlikely to get buy-in from current supporters of the four professional sides, with traditional club branding more likely to attract fans. Welsh rugby's tradition is rooted firmly in the club game. What competition will they play in? A reduction to two teams playing in the URC would be a complete and utter disaster because it is a competition which Welsh fans have never truly bought into. The vast majority of Welsh fans would much prefer to face the likes of Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, Northampton Saints, Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers on a weekly basis. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. It would be transformational for the Welsh game and a leading figure at a Welsh club told WalesOnline this week an Anglo-Welsh league would result in its commercial income rising by at least £3m. The WRU insist they are committed to the URC but if it really wants to deliver an 'optimal solution' it has to be in an Anglo-Welsh. Anything else is sub-optimal. According to numerous people within the upper echelons of the game PRL might expand to 12 or 14 teams but would only consider two Welsh teams. Article continues below It is worth noting teams who are owned by a governing body or has significant union control is unlikely to get accepted into an Anglo-Welsh league. Like it or not radical change is required to drag Welsh rugby out of the doldrums and unlike what some fans have been saying this is not a knee-jerk reaction. But it has to be the right change and the WRU's 'optimal solution' leaves a lot to be desired.
