Welsh rugby in turmoil

Fury at merger plan Players feel ‘shock and anger’ Grand Slam bid disrupted

WALES’ Grand Slam bid is under threat from regional rugby chaos, with talks on a controversial club merger delayed yesterday by a fiery resignation.

On a chaotic day, the agenda shifted from the potential ratification of Welsh rugby’s biggest shake-up since 2003 to yet more infighting.

Warren Gatland’s team are unbeaten in 12 Tests and are desperately trying to prepare for crucial Six Nations matches in Edinburgh against Scotland then Ireland in Cardiff over the next two weekends.

But turmoil in the club game has exploded and over the course of yesterday:

Ospreys chairman Mike James resigned citing ‘catastrophic mismanagement’ by the Welsh Rugby Union over its ‘Project Reset’ plan to revamp the Welsh game.

Ken Owens, the Wales and Scarlets hooker who is also the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association chairman, voiced ‘deep concern’ at the swirling uncertainty.

Gatland admitted his players were distracted ahead of Saturday’s Scotland match by talks of regional mergers.

Wales named their team for Murrayfield early in order to change the ever unravelling agenda.

Ospreys players were summoned to crisis talks with their club directors in Swansea where the message to Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones and Co was that the region would ‘fight for their future’.

The stormy scenes centre on a new plan for Welsh professional rugby — ‘Project Reset’.

On Monday players were told that a merger between the two most successful regions since the club game in Wales was ripped up in 2003 was to occur. Llanellibased Scarlets and Swansea side Ospreys — fierce traditional rivals — would combine and a new region in north Wales based at Colwyn Bay would be born all in time for next season.

The Professional Game Board, which comprises representatives from the WRU and the current four regions, were set to thrash out that deal yesterday afternoon. But Ospreys benefactor and chairman James stunned the meeting by resigning at its outset. He went to the Cardiff summit as planned, met WRU chairman Gareth Davies and CEO Martyn Phillips for five minutes, told them the reasons for his resignation and left.

James said: ‘ Project Reset has become Project Inept. The way in which this has been handled is nothing short of chaotic, resulting in a fatal combination of uncertainty, conjecture and insecurity now hanging over regional rugby’s future. To methodically, rationally and impartially map out the future of regional rugby is one thing. To fatally wound it with an ill- judged, cavalier process is another. We now have the worst of all worlds — a lack of clarity, a lack of transparency and a total inability to plan ahead.’

James’ business partner and Ospreys benefactor Rob Davies took his place as chairman but because he lives in Monaco he could not attend the meeting, so approval of a new set-up was not possible.

Later the PRB issued a statement saying the Scarlets-Ospreys amalgamation was central to the revamp, had been agreed in principle on March 1 and that they were disappointed at the ‘timing and the uncertainty that this has caused players, staff, coaches and the Welsh rugby public’.

Sources have told Sportsmail they regard a merger as dead in the water.

The uncertainty has left players and staff in limbo. The WRU have reportedly put all contract business on hold, telling regions to halt finalising any deals.

Sportsmail has seen WhatsApp messages between players in which the captain of one region advised his out- of- contract colleagues to sort out their affairs before the weekend.

There was also talk between players on Monday of cashing in on moving to the proposed northern region as they believe the WRU will pay handsomely to set up a new team with big names.

Wales and Scarlets hooker Ken Owens, in his role as WRPA chairman, called for clarity.

‘This is the most challenging situation that I or arguably any player has faced during our rugby careers,’ he said. ‘It’s been a bit of a shock. There is a bit of anger. For someone like Alun Wyn or myself who have been one club men and played for one region, there is a question of how is the new entity going to look. They obviously can’t answer.’

Gatland, who made one change to the side who beat England, said: ‘It’s concerning. Players have partners and girlfriends and wives, and they have been asked questions about what is going on and what is going to happen.’

WALES — Williams; North, J Davies, Parkes, Adams; Anscombe, G Davies; Evans, Owens, Francis; Beard, Jones (capt), Navidi, Tipuric, Moriarty.

Replacements: Dee, Smith, Lewis, Ball, Wainwright, A Davies, Biggar, Watkin.