Welsh rugby crisis - Who, what, why and where next?

In two weeks time, Wales will play England in the opening game of the Six Nations.

Head coach Steve Tandy named his squad this week but given the events of the past week, it barely raised any headlines.

Even considering the recent wacky world of Welsh rugby, we have witnessed a few days that have thrown the struggling game into even more turmoil.

It involved the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) sanctioning the owners of one Welsh side buying another, players walking out of meetings and fans protesting.

WRU bosses have been hauled in front of parliament and accused of not connecting with fans, Swansea Council threatening legal action and calling for the WRU board to resign and the threat of an EGM still looming on the horizon.

Have we missed anything?

This tumultuous week still manages to stand out in Welsh rugby history, even when you consider recent times involving potential player strikes and incidents of sexism and misogyny at the WRU.

The catalyst for this week's events was the WRU board agreeing to Ospreys owners, Y11 Media and Sport, becoming the preferred bidder to take over Cardiff, who have been in administration since April 2025.

Instead of releasing that exact detail on Monday evening, the WRU and Y11 and Ospreys chose not to formally announce the deal until Thursday when they stated both teams will continue as separate sides owned by one company.

News inevitably leaked.

That period of public silence led to concern for jobs, with Ospreys cancelling a training session on Tuesday and the squad holding a heated meeting with chief executive Lance Bradley.

A couple of players stormed out with a social media message later sent out by high-profile internationals accusing Y11 and the WRU of "keeping them in the dark."

On Wednesday it was left to Ospreys head coach Mark Jones to confirm the squad had been told of Y11's interest in buying Cardiff.

Still radio silence from the authorities.

In a week where influential individuals must consider their choices regarding clarity, transparency and hiding behind statements rather than fronting up, Jones stands out due to the manner in which he conducted himself in an impressive press conference.

On the same day, the Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA) gave Welsh rugby bosses a deadline of 6 February to tell the players what was happening next season.

The players' body warned "failure to deliver certainty by this point would inevitably require players to consider their position and next steps."

Those assurances were given a couple of days later when the WRPA were told there would be four sides next season by the Professional Rugby Board (PRB), who run the professional game in Wales.

The question ringing around Welsh rugby this week - who are Y11 Sport and Media who could own half of Wales' professional rugby sides?

Y11 remain a mystery, lurking in the background but now becoming one of the major influences in Welsh rugby.

In their own words they are a "diversified sport and media investment house, working with founders and their teams to maximise potential and reach collective goals.

"We transform heritage into legacy, potential into success, familiar into iconic."

Practically, they are an Asia-based investment firm, with the main office listed in Singapore, headed up by James Davies-Yandle.

He was born in the Ospreys area and played hockey for Wales at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Davies-Yandle, who is based in Thailand, admitted his family background, with his father having played for Swansea, played a part in the May 2020 takeover of Ospreys.

That remains one of his only interviews. We have heard little since.

Since then, Y11 have acquired a 25% stake in New Zealand side Hurricanes, are involved with South African side Cheetahs and were previously linked with taking over Ealing Trailfinders.

Y11 and the WRU are confident one organisation can own both sides in the same competition and that they are not in breach of World Rugby Regulation 14., external

World Rugby have been asked to clarify, while the United Rugby Championship (URC) bosses have refused to comment.

While there is the usual disdain directed towards the WRU from the public, there is lots of anger directed from among fans towards Y11 over the way they have handled this process, with the acquisition of Cardiff regarded by some as a betrayal of Ospreys.

After deliberation, consultations and U-turns, the WRU announced in October 2025 they wanted to cut one of the four professional teams, citing financial issues and the lack of top-quality Welsh players.

This Y11/Cardiff scenario will enable them to achieve the desired wish. WRU bosses stated they wanted a consensual process and often raised the prospect of two teams coming together somehow.

The WRU board could have sold Cardiff to a consortium that included former director Martyn Ryan and some American television and film producers.

It was the group Cardiff fans wanted, although they knew nothing about Y11's pitch because they say were kept in the dark about their involvement.

A decision to reward Ryan's consortium would have ensured the WRU still had four sides to reduce to three and a six-month tender process could have followed.

The WRU say its decision was made after a "rigorous open bidding process" and based on the "best financial future for Cardiff". The fact it paves the way to cutting to three professional teams might be a coincidence.

WRU chief executive Abi Tierney and chair Richard Collier-Keywood faced two hours of questioning from Welsh politicians on Wednesday in Westminster, where the governing body announced they had achieved a major restructuring of their finances.

The duo were not given many testing questions and might have thought they had survived a grilling. But afterwards the Welsh Affairs select committee met supporters from Dragons, Ospreys, Cardiff and Scarlets, and delivered a stringing statement.

They accused the WRU of having an "immense disconnect with its fans" and "alienating their supporters by losing a professional team".

Dissatisfaction continues with the WRU hierarchy, with Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart calling for the board to resign.

The threat of an EGM and vote of no-confidence in Collier-Keywood still exists after the district behind the motion stated they had enough support to call one, although they say it will not be until after the Six Nations in mid-March.

Ospreys somehow managed to put matters aside and turn up and play in a 24-24 league draw against Lions on Friday night in Bridgend.

The supporters showed their anger towards the Ospreys owners and the WRU by turning the lights on their phones in the 11th minute in a poignant protest.

The official line is Ospreys will continue to exist and play in the URC and Europe until at least the end of the 2026-27 season.

After that, no guarantees, especially regarding survival as a professional entity.

The start of the 2027-28 season is when the WRU hopes to be able to field three teams in the URC, although that depends on the league finding a replacement side to keep the tournament numbers at 16.

So Ospreys' supporters and staff will be concerned next season could be the final one as a top-flight club.

It is a side who are statistically the most successful Welsh team since the inception of regional rugby in 2003, although the last trophy came in 2012.

The brand might be kept alive with the possibility of a team called Ospreys playing in Super Rygbi Cymru (SRC), the semi-professional competition below the regional game.

That is unlikely to appease supporters who will feel alienated and are unlikely to be interested to be travelling to Cardiff or Llanelli to watch professional rugby.

One of the things that could change this picture is if Scarlets or Dragons do not resolve their differences with the WRU over the control the governing body desire over the rugby sides.

The WRU has announced the three licences for the Welsh sides will be in Cardiff, one in the west and one in the east.

Llanelli-based Scarlets and Dragons, who play out of Newport, are expected to be awarded the two team licences outside the Welsh capital.

However, as it stands, the direction of travel seems to be that Ospreys will be a professional side for only the next season-and-a-half, barring any dramatic changes.

Where Ospreys will play next season is up for debate with plans to move into a refurbished St Helen's in Swansea in doubt.

Swansea Council are putting £5m into the project but will hold onto the money for now as they say it was "dependent on Ospreys remaining one of Wales' professional regional teams and we cannot commit any money to St Helen's until this matter is resolved."

Council leader Stewart has been critical of the WRU this week. He initially threatened legal action on Tuesday before holding a meeting with Ospreys and Tierney two days later.

Afterwards, Stewart warned the proposals threaten the Ospreys heritage and the long-term future of the sport in Swansea, urging the WRU to "hit pause" and rethink its approach.

He raised the prospect of "no viable future for the Ospreys within their [WRU] new arrangements", although the organisation themselves have assured staff that is not the case.

Whether this dispute can be resolved and Swansea Council can be persuaded to go ahead with the development, with promises from Ospreys and WRU of other rugby projects for the city, is up in the air.

Ospreys are playing this season in Bridgend after their initial plans to move to St Helen's were delayed.

Now the clock is ticking for the start of next season in September, with major redevelopment work needed to be started soon.

Y11 have entered into a 60-day period of exclusivity with the WRU, so barring any late hitches or dramatic change of mind from either party, that should be concluded.

Cardiff fans are also dismayed by this news and plan to protest at the home game against Benetton this evening, while the reaction of the Cardiff Athletic Club, who own the Arms Park ground, will be interesting.

We wait to see whether the clubs call the EGM after Wales complete the Six Nations campaign in March. They still need to attract the numbers needed to make sure it can be a successful revolt.

One potential uprising that appears to have been quelled is the threat of a players' strike with the WRPA appeased.

Tandy will takes his squad to face England in Twickenham in 15 days with Wales aiming to break an 11-match losing Six Nations sequence and record a first victory in the tournament since March 2023.

A reminder that as well as the off-the-field disarray continuing to engulf Welsh rugby, matters on the field remain at crisis-point.

After the England trip, Wales have three home games against France, Scotland and Italy with tickets not selling as they have in the past.

People are considering walking away from various aspects of Welsh rugby. The events of the past few days might only accelerate that process.