Your questions answered on Welsh rugby’s off-field soap opera
17:13, 31 Mar 2026
The Ospreys have been fighting for their future(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Following last Friday’s shock announcement that Welsh Rugby Union chair Richard Collier-Keywood would be stepping down at the end of his term in July fans have been left with more questions than answers.
So, what now? Does the removal of Collier-Keywood mean the WRU will ditch its attempt to cut one of Wales’ four professional teams?Will it lead to other prominent WRU board members stepping down? Will the upcoming EGM even go ahead?
And are the Ospreys now safe after last week’s announcement that the redevelopment of St Helen’s is happening?
Rugby correspondent Steffan Thomas answers the key questions. You can read the inside story of Collier-Keywood’s ousting here.
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Are the WRU still planning to go down to three teams?
As it stands yes.
The WRU board voted unanimously in favour of reducing the number of professional clubs from four to three, while CEO Abi Tierney has firmly nailed her colours to that mast.
The union says there is simply not enough money to make the necessary investment into the pathway and retain four competitive teams, although high-profile figures from outside the WRU believe they could find the money by making cuts elsewhere.
But WalesOnline understands the WRU is already circa £7m away from its financial projections for this financial year.
However, a new independent chair could bring a different viewpoint and may want to go down a different road than the original plan.
If that is the case it will be down to the new chair to persuade the board of directors to change course and vote again. Bear in mind its is the WRU board who will appoint the new chair in the first place.
It is also worth noting that the WRU going down to three sides is heavily dependent on the URC finding a replacement, meaning Wales will have four professional clubs for at least one more season, if not two, as things stand.
Are the Ospreys now safe?
No, but they are in a far stronger position than they were not so long ago.
A couple of weeks ago Swansea Council released minutes of a meeting between its leader Rob Stewart, WRU CEO Abi Tierney and Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley clearly indicating that if Y11 bought Cardiff, the Ospreys would cease to exist as a professional men’s rugby club.
According to those minutes, Ospreys CEO Bradley said the club had been “losing £2.5m a year” and this position was worsening with increased costs and reduced income.
“As such it did not have a sustainable future and there was no route to it breaking even,” read the minutes.
But since then Swansea Council has announced the redevelopment of St Helen’s will go ahead as planned, but unlike the original plan the bulk of the investment will come from the Ospreys.
It’s clearly a complicated picture at the region. The narrative has been one of a club fighting for survival against an outside force, but it is the club’s own owners who sparked this uncertainty by bidding for Cardiff and remaining silent on their plans since.
It seems really noteworthy then that former Ospreys chair Rob Davies has publicly returned to the fold somewhat in recent weeks and appears to be very committed to securing the region’s future, which will reassure supporters, amid the silence from Y11.
The fact they now have their own ground would strengthen the Ospreys’ position if the west licence went out to tender.
With only one licence in the west under the current plan it pits the Ospreys against the Scarlets, and that battle will likely be decided by which funding directors have the deepest pockets and are most committed.
EGM
The EGM is still scheduled for 6pm on Monday, April 13, at the Principality Stadium, with the headline motion a vote of no-confidence in Collier-Keywood as a WRU director.
Given Collier-Keywood will be leaving the union in July it has taken some of the sting out of the EGM, for sure.
WalesOnline understands the Central Glamorgan Rugby Union is meeting on Wednesday to discuss whether the EGM should go ahead or not.
While no final decision has been made there is a reasonable chance it will not go ahead.
But if the WRU board does not deviate from its plans, there is nothing stopping an EGM getting called at a later date.
However, Collier-Keywood remains in place for the next three months currently, while one of the motions put forward was to remove the council members on the main WRU board and call an election within 14 days. There may still be a desire to do that and so the EGM could carry on. A change in wider personnel on the board could shake things up if more new faces with a fresh perspective are drafted in before the summer.
Who will be the next WRU chair?
Collier-Keywood remains in position until July so the WRU board do have some time on its side, but they will want to start the recruitment process as quickly as possible.
The chair is no longer elected by the member clubs, and Collier-Keywood was the first to be appointed by the board itself.
The WRU board will set up a Nominations Committee to select the candidates. You can see the list of main options here.
It would not be a shock if Collier-Keywood’s replacement was already on the board with the likes of Alison Thorne, Jennifer Mathias and Andrew Williams credible candidates should they wish to take it on.
Outside of the current board there is support for former First Minister for Wales Carwyn Jones, Dragons co-owner David Buttress, Hayley Parsons and Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc, while new names will undoubtedly emerge over the next few months.
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