Warren Gatland ‘has full support’ says Welsh Rugby Union chairman

It has not just been the international game which has struggled in Wales in 2024.

Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons all finished in the bottom five of the 2023-24 United Rugby Championship (URC), while the Ospreys reached the play-offs on the final day of the season.

Ospreys would not get any further, however, as they lost 23-7 to Munster in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The four Welsh regions were given a £5.2m salary cap last season, slashed from the original figure of around £7.2m, with the number dropping even further to £4.5m for next season.

In June, the WRU announced a five-year plan, with WRU chief executive Abi Tierney saying the exact details of just how they will achieve their “ambitious mission” will be announced later this year.

This week the WRU’s audited annual report said the organisation is “performing below the forecasts set for the 2024” but revealed increased investment into the game in 2023.

The report also warned of upcoming “cost savings” for 2025 and beyond, but said those cuts were the “maximise our investment in rugby”.

Asked if the regions can expect to see a salary cap increase moving forward, Collier-Keywood said: “Absolutely I do, I think the teams have probably chosen their teams for the next season and that’s a tough ask as we don’t want to have unnecessary inflation in those numbers.

“But looking for the season after that, we absolutely want our teams to be competitive and we recognise that means a significant raise in the salary cap.

“At the moment we’re talking about the same amount of funding and then attracting private funding as well, because they are independently owned clubs.

“That is our commitment to the clubs, to come back with a reasonable offer that would keep the four at the same level.”