URC boss outlines how league will respond to possible axed Welsh club

BKT United Rugby Championship boss Martin Anayi has pledged to support the Welsh Rugby Union after it was announced that they will look to axe one of their four regional sides.

The WRU last month said that there would no longer be four equally funded teams after the Scarlets and Ospreys decided not to sign up for the new Professional Rugby Agreement.

The WRU has served a two-year notice on the current financial model, and the URC has said that axing a club would require their agreement, but they will do what is in the best interests of Welsh Rugby.

“We would need to agree, as a URC board and the other shareholders, that three was the right number and that they can go to three. There would need to be an agreement. That can’t be unilateral.

“What we’re trying to do is work with the Welsh Rugby Union to work out what they want to do, and is there a way that all the shareholders can agree to that over what period of time?

“That’s the process we’re in at the moment. There can’t be a unilateral decision taken. There has to be an agreement. It has to be managed over a period of time. That’s because we have contracts and the integrity of the league to protect as well,” he said.

Anayi admits that he doesn’t see a scenario where the URC boards and clubs would block a move to axe one of the Dragons, Cardiff, the Ospreys or the Scarlets.

“We don’t foresee that we’ll get into that scenario because we’re engaging with the WRU all the time. What we really want is competitive Welsh regions and, ultimately, how you get that.

“What resourcing does that need in the modern environment, and what resourcing is available in Wales? We are there to support our shareholders, and that is the Welsh Rugby Union.

“While we have a contract with them, we also want the best for them. And we talk to them all the time about what is best for Welsh rugby,” he added.