Welsh rugby’s governing body will announce long-term plans to cut to three professional teams by 2028 – but will continue to have four sides in the short term.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had suggested one or two of its professional sides could go, with the prospect of Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys or Scarlets being culled.
The two-team solution was described by the WRU in August as its “optimal system” from four different proposals.
However, after months of consultation, debate and uncertainty, the WRU has opted initially to keep the four sides in the short term and look to reduce that number by one in the next three years.
The WRU has not decided how that process will be judged but hopes for collaboration before looking at a tender system.
Its ambition is to have three equally funded sides, which might not retain their existing branding, with one team in the east, one central and one in the west, where Ospreys and Scarlets are both based.
