‘We need to be brave’ – Jamie Roberts on future of Welsh rugby

Roberts explained the top of the game in Wales needs to be consolidated as there simply is not enough money to fund the pathways and keep four professional sides running in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

“Everyone in the room is sitting around going ‘where do we best divide the pie here?’ The money pot is finite, we need to spend accordingly,” he said.

“It’s a tough decision to make. Going from four to three is really hard because you appreciate the impact it’s going to have.

“But you have to make that decision in the best interest of the game in Wales, to get our club sides winning again and to get the Test side dining at the top table again.”

Wales’ dismal autumn campaign ended in a record 73-0 defeat by world champions South Africa last weekend, while Ospreys, Dragons and Scarlets occupy the bottom four positions of the URC.

Roberts added: “If you were to give all the data to any 10 rationale people with a love of the game in Wales, which board members do of course, they will come to the same decision.

“We need to be brave.”