Regional U-23 sides set for the go-ahead

REGIONAL Under-23 teams are set to be introduced into Welsh rugby, along with a reduction in the size of the Principality Premiership.

The development sides are likely to be up and running at the Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Dragons from next season.

And the semi-pro Premiership will be cut from 16 to 12 clubs from the start of the 2019-20 campaign.

These radical changes are set to come in following an exhaustive competitions review carried out by the Welsh Rugby Union.

That review process has seen the opinions of all the interested parties being sought and considered and now recommendations are to go before the WRU board later this month.

The fine detail surrounding the U-23 teams is still being thrashed out, with more meetings scheduled for this week.

But the basic idea is to provide a level of professional rugby between PRO14 and the Premiership for talented young regional players.

It may well be that some over-age players would be allowed to feature in the teams to ensure sufficient numbers.

The plan is for the new sides to play around 10 games a season, made up of derbies, plus matches against Irish and/or Scottish outfits.

Ireland’s four provinces already operate A teams and they may well be looking for fixtures, with the British & Irish Cup being scrapped next season.

And, in Scotland, the plan is to set up six new semi-pro franchises from 2019 to bridge the gap between the club game and the two professional sides, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

So, there is plenty of potential scope for securing opponents for the Welsh Regional U-23 sides.

Their 10 projected fixtures are likely to be played in two blocks, one at the start of the campaign and one after the Six Nations, providing some degree of continuity for the teams.

International periods would be avoided because of the heavy demands on the regions player-wise during those times.

When they are not involved with the U-23 sides, young players would potentially be available to the Premiership clubs.

At present, the Premiership contains 16 clubs, with this being the second of three years where the league is ring-fenced with no promotion or relegation.

But the semi-pro tier looks set to be reduced to 12 sides from the season after next.

It will remain at 16 clubs for next term, with straight home and away fixtures, but four teams will be relegated at the end of the campaign.

One suggestion is there would then be a play-off between the 12th-placed club and the winners of the Championship, but that detail is yet to be finalised.

There had been some speculation that the £1.7m WRU funding for the Premiership might be cut or scrapped altogether as part of the changes.

But there’s nothing at present to suggest that will be the case.

It will be interesting to see whether BBC Wales now look to come on board to broadcast Premiership games having lost the rights for the PRO14 from next season.

Exactly how the teams will be financed remains to be seen, amid ongoing discussions between the regions and the Union over the funding of the pro game in Wales.

It’s understood the full recommendations will go before the WRU board on March 23 and their approval will be required.