Welsh rugby’s two west Wales regions are still unsigned on the deal that was supposed to secure their futures — and the WRU‘s plan to cut professional rugby in Wales from four teams to three remains very much alive in the background.
Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley confirmed on Thursday that the region had not yet signed the new Professional Rugby Agreement — known as PRA25 — despite announcing its intention to do so four weeks ago.
The Scarlets are also yet to commit to the deal, which sets out how professional rugby in Wales will be run, including how much money each region will receive.
Bradley told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the hold-up was not a cause for alarm. “It’s not signed yet, but it’s progressing towards that, so it’s very close,” he said. “It’s just a few details to sort out, there aren’t any problems with it.”
He also moved to dismiss reports suggesting the new agreement would mean budget cuts for the clubs. “There was some discussion about how you manage recruitment at relatively short notice, but no — there are no plans for a reduction in the budget,” Bradley said.
The two regions are currently signed to an older agreement that runs until 2028. Dragons and Cardiff — currently owned by the WRU — signed the new PRA25 deal in May 2025, which runs until 2030.
The Ospreys and Scarlets had held back from signing last year, releasing a joint statement seeking clarity from the WRU before they would commit. That stand-off triggered a significant escalation from the WRU.
In May 2025, the WRU announced it would move away from a model of four evenly-funded clubs — a move that sent shockwaves through west Wales rugby and fuelled fears for both regions’ survival.
What followed was one of the most turbulent periods in Welsh regional rugby history. Swansea Council went to the High Court seeking an injunction to halt a proposed WRU deal that it said would end the Ospreys. Fans launched a 10,000-signature petition. Politicians, supporters and public figures called for the WRU chair’s resignation.
The Y11 bid to take over Cardiff Rugby also collapsed in April — a significant moment that changed the landscape of negotiations, with the WRU subsequently moving to offer PRA25 to the Ospreys and Scarlets.
The WRU’s subsequent U-turn — offering both regions a professional rugby agreement — was celebrated by campaigners as a massive victory. But the deal still hasn’t been signed, and the WRU’s longer-term plan has not gone away.
The union wants to cut professional men’s rugby in Wales from four teams to three by the 2028-29 season, and has said it will outline the terms of how that will be achieved this summer.
Previous WRU proposals suggested only one team would remain in west Wales — which would mean either the Ospreys or the Scarlets ceasing to exist as a professional side. Bradley said he hoped it would not come to that.
“My personal preference would be that four regions is something that works very well,” he said. “Ospreys against Scarlets is the biggest club game in Welsh rugby — everybody likes to hate everybody else, but it’s a fantastic game and a fantastic rivalry, and I’d like to see it continue if possible.”
He added that the regions would need to see the full details of the WRU’s three-team plan before drawing any firm conclusions about what it would mean for west Wales rugby.
