The session, which was suspended twice for parliamentary votes, spent more than an hour on grassroots issues before the Ospreys were even mentioned — despite the WRU confirming earlier this week that the region’s owners, Y11, are their preferred bidders to take over Cardiff Rugby. Under WRU rules, no organisation can own two professional sides, leaving the Ospreys’ long‑term position hanging over the hearing.
When the question finally came, Tierney said the WRU was “trying to reach consent” with stakeholders rather than launching a formal tender process. She said the union hoped to avoid a full tender, but admitted that if consent could not be reached, a tender would follow and could take up to six months.
Abi Tierney, WRU chief executive, said she understood the strength of feeling in Swansea. “I hear passion from all the fans. They’re all important and have history. Change is difficult. It’s not going to be easy.”
Pressed on the impact on communities that lose a professional side, Tierney said she “absolutely gets how important rugby is in Swansea”, adding that the WRU would look to invest in Swansea RFC, the women’s game and other pathways if the Ospreys were removed from the professional tier. She said she did not expect supporters to switch allegiances.
The hearing also touched on the WRU’s financial restructuring, with Collier‑Keywood insisting the governing body is now on a “much stronger economic rock” after refinancing debt with backing from Goldman Sachs and HSBC. He said the WRU is working with Y11 on a “different model” for the Ospreys, but offered no detail on what that might involve.
Richard Collier‑Keywood, WRU chair, said Y11 “still have a lot of local passion for Swansea”, adding that one of the group’s leaders “comes from Swansea”. He reiterated his belief that three professional teams is the “affordable way forward”, claiming Welsh rugby “was broken” and needed structural change.
Tierney defended the WRU’s approach to data‑led decision‑making and rejected suggestions that the union is disconnected from grassroots clubs. She said she visits one or two clubs a week and insisted the WRU has increased community funding by £250,000.
The committee also heard that the WRU had considered models with two or three professional teams, with Collier‑Keywood saying the union had to balance playing time, competitiveness and cost. He said the WRU is rebuilding the national academy system and creating new mechanisms to identify Welsh talent.
Despite the intense public focus on the Ospreys, the hearing produced no new information on the region’s future. Tierney said the WRU is still in the “consent” phase of discussions and that no formal tender has begun. She said the union would “mitigate the changes” in any area that loses a professional side.
The only direct acknowledgement of the uncertainty came late in the session, when Tierney said she understood the passion of Ospreys supporters and the significance of rugby in Swansea. But with no timeline, no detail and no assurances, the region’s supporters were left with the same unanswered questions they had before the hearing began.
