Lance Bradley: WRU cut plans affecting investment and recruitment, says Ospreys chief

However, the ex-Wales wing is among those who agree a change is needed.

“It’s very disappointing the way that things have gone,” the 50-year-old added. “We’ve said this for years that it was a house of cards built on sand, the foundations.

“We’ve done exceptionally well for what we had with the structures in place and it hasn’t worked out financially.

“It needs to change dramatically in order to try and encourage players to play the game, to take up the game rather than go to football or other sports, and to get the support back and where Wales need to be on the rugby level.”

While the WRU has said that its preferred solution is two professional sides, its proposals include four options in total:

A consultation period will begin on 1 September before a recommendation is sent in mid-October to the WRU board to make a final decision that month.

Former Wales centre Tom Shanklin wrote on X that he was in favour of “four regions, larger pathways and a bigger pool to identify young talent.”

Shanklin does accept two professional teams will “hopefully increase results domestically”.

But the 45-year-old added: “The main issue is the next generation of players coming through. They need investment, coached and developed to a very high standard so that we don’t find ourselves in the same situation in 10 years’ time.”

Former Wales wing Alex Cuthbert, 35, speaking on the Scrum V podcast, advocated for three teams.

“We’ve been sat here and we’ve asked for change haven’t we and it’s come,” he said.

“But whether you’re moving the needle from one extreme to the other and I think whether they’re going too far in terms of straight to two?”

The ex-Cardiff, Exeter and Ospreys back added: “Everyone’s going to have their opinion, whether it’s fans, stakeholders, players, and they’ve go to listen because everyone could just turn up and say ‘this is a load of rubbish’ and where do they go then?

“They [the WRU] obviously back themselves or they have to go back to the drawing board, so I think the important thing they have in this consultation period is they have to be responsive to the cultural values of Wales and Welsh rugby.”