The Scarlets have demanded the Welsh Rugby Union share its data and justify its plan to cut one of Wales's four professional regions — a move the union confirmed last month would spell the end for either the Scarlets or the Ospreys (Reuters).

Jon Daniels, the Scarlets' managing director, believes there is a genuine case for keeping all four regional teams and wants the WRU to explain why a side in west Wales should be the one to go. "The justification for moving from four to three needs more work," he said, arguing that the data behind the decision has not been shared and the discussion needs transparency (BBC Sport).

Wales currently operates four professional regional teams — the Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff and the Dragons — that feed players into the national side. The WRU confirmed in April that the reduction to three teams would not take effect until 2028, after a deal with the Ospreys' owners (Yahoo Sports). But the process to decide the framework for that final decision will begin in December and finish before the end of the 2026-27 season, according to WRU chiefs (BBC Sport).

The funding picture is already uneven. The WRU said last year that the Ospreys and Scarlets did not sign a new funding agreement by the deadline, meaning Wales's four regions are not being funded equally (Reuters).

Daniels pointed to Ireland, who run four professional provinces and have been among Europe's most successful rugby nations in recent years, as evidence that a small nation can sustain four teams. He stressed that the decision will have a long-lasting effect on rugby and on communities across west Wales, and called for a proper public airing of the arguments (BBC Sport).

Merger talk, which has swirled around Welsh rugby for years, is not on the table this time. The Scarlets confirmed as far back as 2019 that proposed merger discussions with the Ospreys were dead (BBC Sport).

For the Scarlets, the uncertainty is personal. Daniels said it is the club's duty to ensure the off-field turmoil does not creep into performances on the pitch. Rather than knock morale, he believes the current situation should unite players, supporters and staff — all of them fighting for the region's future (BBC Sport).

For fans of Welsh rugby, the months ahead will be tense. The framework process has not even started, yet two of the four regions already know that one of them may not survive the season. The Scarlets, at least, have made clear they intend to go down swinging.