The Welsh Rugby Union has been given another month to answer the legal challenge over the future of professional rugby in Wales. Swansea Council, which brought the case, has agreed to the union’s request.
It says it agreed because of “recent developments” at the union, including a new chair and plans for summit meetings with the clubs.
The claim itself still stands. The council hopes the month will give the union’s new leadership room to weigh up “all available options” before any further legal steps are taken.
Why Swansea Council agreed to give the WRU more time
A spokesperson for Swansea Council said: “We have agreed to the WRU’s request for additional time because we recognise the significance of the recent changes within the organisation and the opportunity they present.”
The spokesperson said the new chair and the planned summit meetings with clubs “provide an opportunity for fresh discussions about the future of professional rugby in Wales”.
They added: “We believe it is right to allow time for the WRU’s new leadership to consider all options, including the future shape of the regional game, and to fully understand the concerns that led to our claim.”
What new WRU chair Lyndon Faulkner has said about cutting a region
Lyndon Faulkner starts at the union on 2 November and officially takes over as chair at its AGM on 22 November.
He has said he will review the plan to cut Wales to three professional clubs, and has not ruled out changing course.
In the council’s words, Faulkner has publicly indicated he intends to “look at everything”, including whether to keep four professional regional teams.
The union’s “State of the Game” summit with all four professional clubs is due in early December.
What Swansea Council’s legal claim against the WRU is about
At the heart of the claim, according to the council, are concerns about the process the WRU followed, and its conduct, in reviewing and deciding the future of the professional game.
Decisions this important to Welsh rugby, local communities and regional economies must go through “a fair, transparent and properly governed process”, it argues.
The council paused its High Court challenge at the end of May after the union said no licence decisions had been made. It restarted the case in August, saying assurances it had been given were broken.
In July, the union offered Cardiff and the Dragons two of the three licences from the 2028/29 season.
That leaves the Ospreys fighting for the last one. Their rivals for it are the Scarlets, with the union due to decide by the end of June 2027.
Council leader Cllr Rob Stewart said earlier this month that “our legal action continues”. He was responding to the union publishing the evidence behind its licence decisions.
What the WRU says about funding four professional teams
The WRU says funding four professional men’s clubs at £6.5m each is “unsustainable beyond 2028”.
Its director of rugby, Dave Reddin, said in September that the cut to three was going ahead. He blamed “the brutal economics of it all”.
Swansea Council says its aim has not changed. The spokesperson said: “Our objective remains to secure a sustainable and successful future for Welsh rugby through a process that is transparent, fair and in the best interests of the game, its supporters and the communities it serves.”
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