Welsh rugby axe swing ‘not off the table yet by any means’

Proposals to reduce the number of regions in Wales from four to two remain under consideration, according to the Welsh Rugby Union’s director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin.

The consultation period for the radical plan to turn around the the game at both club and international level is now over and the WRU board will meet this week before a decision is made later this month.

Opponents against halving the number of four men’s professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – were hoping the WRU would rethink its proposal, but Reddin insists it is still an option.

“It is not off the table yet by any means, but neither has it been replaced by something that works better,” he said.

“I think it’s probably the nuance within it. What we did with the optimal system was we put something out that was pretty bold and provocative to answer the questions as they are now.

“The way I’ve described that is… we painted that with a two-inch brush so inevitably in between the two-inch brush and the artex pencil there’s a lot of detail and a lot of conversation.

“Today, is the question of two off the table? No, nothing is off the table. We are still working through it.”