Tierney outlines latest plan for Welsh rugby

There is never a dull day in Welsh rugby. The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has confirmed its deal with Ospreys owners Y11 Sport & Media to buy Cardiff has fallen through and that plans to cut to three men's professional teams will not happen until 2028. The WRU had been looking to offload Cardiff since rescuing them from administration in April 2025.

Ospreys and Scarlets have been offered the opportunity to sign Welsh rugby's latest Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA25), which will last until at least the end of the 2027-28 season. The WRU insists a cut to three teams by the end of the 2027-28 season is still the way forward and a plan to get there will be announced by June. On Wednesday, WRU chief executive Abi Tierney was quizzed by the media on a range of issues from why the Y11 deal did not happen, why Ospreys and Scarlets have been offered the PRA25 now, why the governing body is still committed to three teams and whether she felt her position was untenable.

Here is what she said. Why the WRU and Y11 Cardiff deal will not go ahead Cardiff went into administration in April 2025 [Huw Evans Picture Agency] Question: Why has the Y11 deal to buy Cardiff collapsed? Abi Tierney: "Collapsed is not the right word.

"We had said all along it was a robust and rigorous assessment process and we did that and it came to a joint decision at the end [that] now isn't the right time to sell Cardiff. " What were the sticking points? "There weren't sticking points and Y11 were constructive and collaborative throughout but we couldn't reach an end agreement whereby it made sense for either of us to take it forward.