00:00How did Welsh Rugby get to where we are now? Off-field issues, with accusations of bullying
00:07and sexism, to some of the worst on-field performances we've ever seen, with an entire
00:12calendar year without a win in 2024, and now the four professional teams in the country
00:17are soon set to turn into three. There have been some flashes of excellence among the
00:22four regions in the past. Scarlet, Ospreys and Cardiff have all won domestic cups through
00:26the years, and Cardiff have twice won the European Challenge Cup, but generally speaking, they've
00:31not been on the same level as in other countries, like where the Irish domestic teams are constant
00:36powerhouses, the English top flight is one of the best in the world. So the decision to
00:41cut one of the Welsh teams and split resources between the remaining three does make sense
00:45to some extent, but it's massively controversial. The four teams all have their reasons for being
00:52kept alive, from the success on the pitch of Cardiff, the Scarlets and Ospreys, to the
00:56historic amateur feeder teams in Newport with the Dragons, but it seems like the writing might
01:01be on the wall. The decision has been met with criticism, but the Welsh Rugby Union says they've
01:06opened dialogue with stakeholders, and if we look back to August, they said a number of options
01:10were on the table.
01:11We are going through this process of consultation in September. Dave has said very clearly that
01:18we want to listen to people's views on this, and we do, and the board will make a decision on the
01:25future, having gone through the consultation process at some point during October.
01:32The most recent comments from the WIU basically paint a picture that they know which teams will
01:36stay, so it's a matter of putting two and two together to see who might face the chopping block.
01:42They've said rugby in the capital should remain, so Cardiff are in, historic ties to teams like
01:46Pontypool for the Dragons and comments of rugby in the East needing to remain mean they're probably
01:51safe too. So it's between the Ospreys and Scarlets who will remain, and that could be
01:56anyone's guess how they approach it.
01:59Current Wales captain Jack Morgan certainly knows where his allegiances lie for who should
02:03stay in the West. Both teams would argue they have the right to stay, they've both got arguments
02:07for being the most successful teams over the past few decades, so will it be a merger or one being cut?
02:13Who knows?
02:15I love the Ospreys. I love playing, I love the boys, the coaches, everyone, and
02:23you know, with regards to that, the news only came out on Friday, so the main focus for myself now is
02:30this campaign, and we'll see how everything else goes.
02:33I think it's ever a good time for decisions to be made. I think no matter when it gets announced,
02:40there'll always be someone or something that will be probably criticised or whatever, but for me,
02:46at the end of the day, we've spoken to the boys, and the fact that I've still been excited to get the
02:51group in, so for me, the focus is on the all-time. I was, like I said, I've had lots of conversation with the players.
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