Ospreys pull out of deal for merger with Scarlets

THE scarlets- Ospreys merger that threatened to rip Welsh rugby apart is dead.

Having stormed out of a summit designed to vote a deal through on Tuesday the Ospreys have stuck their flag in the ground.

and yesterday the scarlets confirmed there would be no joint team. ‘The merger is off the table,’ read a statement from the Llanelli-based side. ‘The problems regarding Welsh rugby have not gone away but we remain committed to the best interests of scarlets and the game in Wales.’

Incoming Ospreys chairman rob Davies labelled the last few days ‘a stitch-up of convenience that has just unravelled’.

and he called for action from the Professional Game Board. Davies said: ‘It’s now time for experienced planning, robust consultation and a methodical process to emerge that is transparent and carries with it the full range of the sport’s stakeholders.’

The Ospreys approached the scarlets about a joint team in December, as their tenancy at the Liberty stadium was proving a tough financial challenge.

By February the merger talks had broken down, so the Ospreys approached cardiff Blues. When that failed they went back to the scarlets and an agreement in principle to merge was signed on March 1. But then the Ospreys performed a stunning u-turn.

Their chairman Mike James resigned, and the swansea region issued fiery statements criticising the whole process.