Welsh rugby crisis: Ospreys pledge sustainable future and St Helen’s move remain unchanged

The new PRA agreement had been signed by Dragons and Cardiff, who were last month taken over by the WRU having served formal notification that they intended to enter administration.

Last week Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the WRU for assurances that the takeover “will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs” but that has not been given.

On Sunday, the WRU released a statement saying that with Ospreys and Scarlets not signing by the deadline set, it had therefore taken the “difficult but necessary decision to issue the formal two-year notice to terminate the current PRA agreement in order, in particular, to proceed with its debt refinancing.”

In a joint statement on Sunday, Ospreys and Scarlets expressed concern and disappointment at the WRU’s position, saying they had made a U-turn that had “created more destabilising and debilitating uncertainty in our game”.

“The “One Wales” strategy had been worked on collaboratively by the WRU and all four professional clubs for more than a year,” said Bradley.

“The WRU’s sudden U-turn away from that strategy and commitment to a ‘four teams, equally funded’ model for Welsh professional rugby was surprising and disappointing.

“It has raised questions for all four professional clubs, and for those who back and support them.”