OSPREYS AND SCARLETS LINED UP FOR MERGER

WELSH rugby is on the brink of an historic overhaul, with the Ospreys and Scarlets ready to merge to allow for a new region in the north of the country, likely to be in Colwyn Bay. Staff of the west Wales regions have been informed a merger is on the cards, but a final decision will depend on the outcome of a meeting today of the Professional Rugby Board — a joint body representing the regions and the WRU. The Swansea-based Ospreys and the Scarlets, from Llanelli, are fierce rivals, but an alliance is the likely outcome.