WRU outlines timeline for plan to cut team in west

WRU outlines timeline for plan to cut team in westImage source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Mark Jones at Ospreys (L) and Nigel Davies at Scarlets are rival rugby bosses in west WalesByChris KirwanBBC Sport WalesPublished37 minutes agoThe Welsh Rugby Union has outlined how it plans to cut from four professional teams to three by 2028, with Ospreys and Scarlets set to fight to be the side in south west Wales.The governing body validated in April it intended to press on with plans to go down to three men’s teams from the 2028-29 season, with one in the capital, one in the east and one in the west.Cardiff, owned by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), and Dragons, an independently-backed business, are set to be given licences.That would leave Swansea-based Ospreys and Llanelli-based Scarlets to compete for the remaining spot, with a merger also a practical, if controversial, possibility.The WRU has stated that the process to decide the framework for the final decision will begin in December and finish before the end of the 2026-27 season.”The WRU board has examined in detail a range of factors when determining the three future licence areas and has validated that only incumbent teams will be considered eligible for a licence,” a WRU statement reported.”This means contingent on the agreement of the final licensing terms, Dragons RFC and Cardiff Rugby would be offered the respective east and capital licences.”Scarlets sign Wales fly-half Anscombe from Bayonne