RugbyRebels

Cardiff and the Ospreys will merge to form a superclub.

UKHamlet wrote: ↑Sun May 18, 2025 5:21 pm Cardiff and the Ospreys will merge to form a superclub.

Called Cardiff?

Yeah, anything is possible now. I can see Cardiff getting extra funding from the WRU to become the defacto superclub (with ensuing mutiny from the rest of Wales). If the WRU can find someone with more money than sense to sell Cardiff to, things could remain in the four regions on insufficient funding situation. And one or both of the Scarlets and Ospreys could collapse, being dropped by the WRU. Who knows if the WRU have a secret plan or no real room to manoeuvre outside of the status quo.

Who know if this is just hardball? Or set in stone?

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... e-31667986

Although WOL 'understands' the WRU intend to move to a three team model, all they say is they are moving away from an evenly funded four team model, so an unevenly funded four team model is still possible. As is anything really . . .

So we are set to lose a region/club?

Plenty of voices on the Fail suggesting the dragons need to go, or merge with Cardiff. On results alone there is no argument. But that would leave the area of Wales with the biggest club participation without a pro team.

This will be messy again and one has to fear for the Ospreys who are without a permanent ground. Financials will count for more than the playing history I suspect.

Of course Llanelli and Ospreys could just sign the agreement and we continue with four clubs.

Cardiff and Dragons merge. Share between Newport - Cardiff like Munster do with Cork and Limerick its that straightforward. Cardiff demise should make this easy

With Cardiff and the Dragons having signed the new agreement then they won't be changed, this looks like a West Wales merger to me, whether or not that will happen who knows.

It seems as though the money they were trying to save by having a different funding model roughlt equates to the debt they've just paid off for Cardiff, £9M iirc, weird that.

It would seem unfair if the only teams which haven't gone bankrupt are the ones that have to merge.

Son of Mathonwy wrote: ↑Tue May 20, 2025 3:30 pm It would seem unfair if the only teams which haven't gone bankrupt are the ones that have to merge.

What happened to the Warriors wasn’t fair. But owning their own ground might be highly significant in all this.