LONG READ Uncertainty reigns but Welsh rugby must plough on in hope of a brighter future

An American man once famously claimed to be a time traveller from 2036. No-one asked him if Welsh rugby had settled down by then – perhaps they should have.

But maybe uncertainty is the only certainty in the oval-ball sport west of the River Severn.

Right now, we can say the Welsh Rugby Union remain intent on reducing the number of professional teams by one in the west, and to date neither the Ospreys nor the Scarlets have put their hands up to depart the scene voluntarily.

What happens next is the season starts. Then the framework for a final decision will begin in December and finish before the end of the campaign. A rugby summit has also been mooted for this term, at which the leadership of the professional teams, other stakeholders and union figures will meet to “talk about the state of the game,” said the union’s director of rugby Dave Reddin recently. The hope is that the way forward will become clearer.

Just to be on the safe side, it’s probably advisable that seat belts are buckled, with the odd bump or 10 not unimaginable.

Whether all this ends happily depends entirely on who you ask, because happiness in Welsh rugby means different things to different people: there is no catch-all definition.

Out west, there’s mystification as to why a team from there should go. “Historically we have been the two best-performing regions on the pitch and we have supplied loads of players to Wales. None of us can understand the thinking,” an Ospreys follower said at their training base this summer. Out east, there is at least the guarantee of security.

The union, meantime, speak of ‘brutal economics’ as a justification for their contraction plans. “We’ve got some really tough choices to make,” Reddin told the BBC. “These are problems that we’ve inherited that have been backing up for 10 or so years.

“It’s a bit like having a beautiful old house that needs renovating, and it really does need renovating.” The construction analogy offered an open goal to former Wales centre Jonathan Davies, who quipped: “He talks about renovating the house. There’s nothing worse than sometimes having dodgy builders.”

Fun and games, albeit there’s no guarantee all sides will be splitting come the end of the season.

Can we all agree that what Welsh rugby needs is to develop more income streams? Removing the toxicity would be a useful start – sponsors tend to think twice before stepping into a war zone or an approximation thereof.

Roll on this weekend and the start of the rugby. Each region will be hopeful that they can give a decent account of themselves in the months ahead, and there are developments to excite.

But as our decade-hopping friend from 2036 might tell you, achieving even a measure of harmony in the game in Wales isn’t easy.

Roll on this weekend and the start of the rugby. Each region will be hopeful that they can give a decent account of themselves in the months ahead, and there are developments to excite.

The Ospreys are going back to the future by returning to St Helen’s, one of the grounds they used during the early days of their existence. Nor will the stadium by the seaside resemble the dusty old base of 2005. The whole place is being revamped, with a new 3G pitch and ongoing work on new stands. When the multi-million pound project is finished, the stadium should be what the Ospreys have long needed.

Recruitment departments have been largely busy, attempting to strengthen squads and cover potentially significant losses.

Sticking with the Ospreys, their squad for 2026-27 comes with a gold ribbon tied around it in the shape of Liam Wright, Marika Koroibete, Lalakai Foketi and Lawson Creighton, four new Australian signings, with the quartet joining compatriot Ryan Smith, who made a significant impression last term. Wales international Tom Rogers and the talented Dan John are among other arrivals.

That adds up to a significant injection of quality.

Veteran Ospreys watchers might feel it calls to mind some of the region’s early recruitment drives, including the one in 2006 that saw Justin Marshall, Filo Tiatia, Lee Byrne and Nikki Walker pitch up at the region, one after the other.

A Swansea landlord was so taken by the news that Marshall had signed that he came running out of his pub waving his lunchtime copy of the South Wales Evening Post, the way he might have if he’d just read that an asteroid was about to hit Earth – or the Swans had signed a peak-era Lionel Messi.

The Scarlets, too, have been busy reconfiguring their squad, welcoming a veritable boatload of new players to Llanelli.

That was then; this is now. The modern-day Ospreys needed to recruit after seeing the likes of Jac Morgan, Dewis Lake, Jack Walsh, James Fender and Daniel Kasende decamp to pastures new, exits that could have induced no small degree of worry. But they have taken action to counter those departures, and they are looking ahead with quiet optimism.

The Scarlets, too, have been busy reconfiguring their squad, welcoming a veritable boatload of new players to Llanelli. The incomers include former Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe and two ex-Super Rugby men in back-rower Cullen Grace, who arrives from Crusaders, and lock Tom Allen, who pitches up from Hurricanes.

Wales loose-head prop Corey Domachowski, the 6ft 9in second row Alex Groves and Wales-qualified full-back Isaac Murray-Macgregor are among other interesting acquisitions.

Supporters will hope Fletcher Anderson can build on a first season to remember in Llanelli, while Blair Murray, Macs Page, Eddie James, Ellis Mee, Sam Costelow and Archie Hughes make up the region’s answer to the Red Arrows: blink and you’ll miss ’em.

Those who have headed out of the door include hooker Marnus van der Merwe, Alec Hepburn, Rogers, Max Douglas and Jarrod Taylor, with Jake Ball retiring as a player.

Cardiff are being tipped by many to lead the Welsh challenge in the URC once again, after last season’s sixth-place finish. Scott Sio is their headline signing, with the vastly experienced Wallaby brought in to power-up the scrum, while Jarrod Evans, Semisi Paea and Le Roux Malan will similarly add much to the capital team’s effort.

The main challenge for the Dragons will be to fill the void left by the departed Aaron Wainwright, who has performed minor miracles for them in recent seasons, but Terrell Peita has come in and Harrison Keddie is another option at No. 8.

It’s hard to imagine a Welsh team banking silverware, but if it’s possible – and for some that might prove a challenge given off-field concerns – the hope is the ride will at least prove enjoyable.

The capture of scrum-half Ere Enari from Hurricanes is seen as a coup and the ultra-consistent Aneurin Owen will want to back up last term’s strong form.

While the two eastern sides have had relatively quiet summers on the recruitment front, continuity can sometimes prove just as valuable as any signing.

But let’s see.

It’s hard to imagine a Welsh team banking silverware, but if it’s possible – and for some that might prove a challenge given off-field concerns – the hope is the ride will at least prove enjoyable.

Young players such as Carwyn Leggatt-Jones and 6ft 6in, 19st battering-ram Will Evans may be sighted at the Scarlets, while the 6ft 4in full-back Lewis Edwards could start to break through at the Ospreys. Steff Emanuel is seen as a significant talent in the making at Cardiff and Che Hope is increasingly viewed by Dragons aficionados as one of the brightest young scrum-halves around.

All this and the sight of Steve Tandy attempting to push a boulder up a hill with Wales.

His challenge will be to fashion a side to be competitive at next year’s World Cup in Australia?

Maybe we can agree expectations should be managed.

Interesting times then for Welsh rugby? Some would prefer to call them trying times, or maybe uncertain times or even borderline scary times. But it’s going to be eventful.