Anglo-welsh Cup replaced by all-english competition

The Anglo-welsh Cup will be replaced next season by a 12-team competition involving solely Premiership sides.

The Premiership Rugby Cup will have a prize pool of more than £500,000, with cash incentives riding on every game.

England’s top-tier clubs will be split into three groups as the inclusion of Welsh regional sides ends after almost 13 years.

All four Welsh regions had featured in a 16-team Anglo-welsh format since 2005-06, but have struggled over the past two seasons, with squads stretched during international windows. Each finished bottom of their respective pools in 2017-18.

This split comes as Pro Rugby Wales moves to establish an under-23 regional competition, with Premiership Rugby preferring flexibility over rigid age restrictions.

Although the Anglo-welsh Cup was primarily used to develop younger players, it has also proved helpful to Premiership clubs – providing more experienced players with meaningful game-time following long-term injury, for instance.

Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark Mccafferty said he felt that keeping a third competition was “hugely important” for English rugby.

“The cup competition bridges the gap for young players from A League and under-18 rugby before they make the step into the Premiership or European matches and on to the Test arena,” Mccafferty said. “It is a development competition with the average age of 24, for the next generation of Owen Farrells and Maro Itojes. The Anglo-

Welsh Cup has acted as a finishing school for these young players and the Premiership Rugby Cup competition will do the same.”

As previously, the Premiership Rugby Cup will be held during breaks from league action over six international weekends around the autumn Tests and the Six Nations. After the pool games, there will be semi-finals and a final. The pool draw will be made in July.

Mccafferty also confirmed that the Premiership A League would continue despite administrative problems.

Although Bristol competed while in the Championship, London Irish are to drop out following their relegation to leave a streamlined competition involving teams from 12 top-flight clubs.