Welsh Rugby Union negotiations.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) confirmed that negotiations with Y11 Sport & Media, owners of Ospreys, to purchase Cardiff Rugby had failed, so Cardiff will remain under WRU ownership for now. No details were given on the reasons, and the WRU reiterated that its long-term goal remains to reduce the number of Welsh professional teams from 4 to 3 for the 2028/29 season.

The WRU had entered an exclusivity period with Y11 in January 2026, which was extended until April 22. Following "constructive conversations," both parties agreed that Y11 would withdraw from the process.

Ospreys and Scarlets, considered the most threatened by the plan to reduce to three teams, would now sign the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) that runs until 2030 (with an exit clause in 2028). This comes almost a year after the WRU withdrew the offer.

Meanwhile, Cardiff will remain under WRU control until it makes "commercial and strategic sense" to sell it. There was no mention of the legal action taken by Scarlets against the WRU over the takeover of Cardiff. Ospreys and Scarlets had refused to sign the new PRA for fear that the WRU could invest more in Cardiff, putting the other teams at a financial disadvantage. The WRU even threatened to give two years' notice to terminate the current agreement. Now, the offer to sign the PRA25 has been returned to Ospreys and Scarlets. If both teams commit, all four regions will be on the same terms for the next four years, with a projected increase in each team's salary cap from £4.5 million to £6.5 million in the coming years.