MP accuses WRU of bully boy money tactics

A senior MP has accused the body running rugby in Wales of “bully boy tactics” after it announced its four regions would no longer be equally funded.

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) bosses said they now intend to implement a new two-tier funding system.

Neath and Swansea East Labour MP Carolyn Harris said this was “totally unacceptable” and accused the WRU of failing to answer “fair questions” about the future of the clubs.

A spokesperson for the WRU said they “would welcome engagement with the local MPs and look forward to the discussion”.

The governing body made the announcement amid reports it intends to cut a team from its professional tier, something it has neither confirmed nor denied, but said it would “welcome engagement” with MPs and looked forward to the discussion.

Wales has four professional regional rugby teams: Cardiff, Newport-based Dragons, the Ospreys in Swansea and the Scarlets in Llanelli.

WRU bosses intend to implement a new two-tier funding system after serving a two-year notice on the current agreement that underpins the professional game.

The Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) deal runs out in 2027, although it was due to be superseded by a new five-year deal that Ospreys and Scarlets have not signed.

The four regions were given a deadline to sign the new PRA by 8 May, but only WRU-owned Cardiff and privately-owned Dragons put pen to paper.

Last week, Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the WRU for assurances that the takeover “will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs”.

The WRU posted a loss of £7.5m for the year ending June 2024.

The four sides are expected to continue to exist in their current form until at least June 2027 when the PRA runs out, but the future of the organisations will be under scrutiny.

Harris, who is also deputy leader of Welsh Labour, told BBC Radio Wales Drive she was “really disappointed” about the decision.

“I, and my fellow MPs in the region, are all intending to take action to knock some sense into the WRU because we can’t lose either the Scarlets or the Ospreys.”

Harris said the pride and community work the clubs provided was “as important” as the game itself.

She added that every MP from the two regions, “regardless of political affiliation” would contribute to a strongly worded letter demanding a meeting.

Harris said the current feeling among politicians was that this was a “really bad decision”.