Welsh Rugby Union formally asks to join an Anglo-Welsh league
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has formally asked to join an Anglo-Welsh league, and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed it. RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said the RFU received a formal approach from the WRU and asked for it in writing.
Wales currently has four professional teams, the Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons. They play in the United Rugby Championship (URC), a 16-team competition that also includes clubs from Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Italy. England's top club competition is the Premiership, usually shortened to the Prem.
Sweeney said no formal talks have yet taken place between the two unions. He added that the RFU's main focus is on growing the English game. According to BBC Sport, the Prem hopes to expand from 10 to 12 teams for the 2029-30 season, with a longer-term ambition to grow further.
Wales is also reshaping its own professional game. The WRU is cutting the number of professional teams from four to three by 2028. Cardiff and Dragons will be awarded licences, which are the rights to compete in the league. The Ospreys and Scarlets will fight for the remaining west Wales licence, with a final decision expected by summer 2027. The WRU has also committed to providing four sides to the URC for another two years.
The English system has changed too. Promotion and relegation between the Prem and the second tier, the Championship (known as the Champ), was scrapped from the start of the 2026-27 season. Any team that wants to play in the Prem will first need to complete a campaign in the Champ. Worcester, Wasps and London Irish all folded during the 2022-23 season, when the Prem was reduced to 10 teams.
WRU chair Lyndon Faulkner has said he is a fan of an Anglo-Welsh tournament. The union is trying to secure places for possibly two Welsh sides in such a competition. WalesOnline reported that the approach sought entry for two Welsh clubs into the Prem.
Sweeney has played down the idea of a full Anglo-Welsh merger. Any move would need agreement from both unions, and so far there has been no sit-down between them on the detail.
For Welsh supporters, the questions are about where their clubs will play and how many will be left standing. For English fans, the question is how far the Prem's growth plans might open the door to clubs from outside England. Both are open for now. Nothing has been agreed, and the RFU has made clear its own priorities lie at home.
