The summit will set the framework for Welsh rugby’s future, with decisions on the three professional clubs expected next year

A pivotal summit involving the key figures in Welsh rugby is set to shape the future of the professional game in Wales during the next two months.

With the structure of the domestic game still shrouded in uncertainty, the coming weeks are expected to bring a concerted effort from the sport’s leading powerbrokers to find a way forward, resolve the divisions that have engulfed Welsh rugby and provide much-needed clarity over its long-term direction.

Under the WRU’s current proposals, the number of professional clubs in Wales will be reduced from four to three, leaving the Ospreys and Scarlets facing a straight fight for survival.

Unless the two clubs can agree to a merger, one of them will lose its place in the professional game as things stand.

But that position could change if the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby agree to allow Welsh clubs to apply for places in the Gallagher PREM as the competition expands from 10 to 12 teams.

While there are no guarantees at this stage, it is a very real possibility being discussed behind the scenes and one that could have significant implications for the future shape of Welsh professional rugby.

A date has yet to be formally agreed, but the intention is for the summit to take place in the latter half of December. That timetable is expected to be ratified by the Professional Rugby Board over the next fortnight.

Who will be there?

The summit is expected to be wide-ranging, bringing together all the major stakeholders in the professional game.

It will bring together a far wider group of decision-makers than a typical Professional Rugby Board meeting, with the entire boards of all four Welsh professional clubs – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – invited to attend.

Every member of the WRU board will also be present, alongside director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin and other senior officials.

The discussions will also draw on expertise from outside the Welsh game, with specialists expected to be invited to offer insight into areas including rugby finances, television audiences and how best to engage the public, among other things.

A central objective of the summit will be to establish the criteria and ground rules for the three proposed regional licences, setting out the requirements clubs would need to meet to secure a place in the new structure.

Under the current model, there would be one licence for east Wales, one for central Wales and a single licence covering the west.

Ultimately, the summit is about determining what PRA 28 will look like and the conditions attached to the three licences.

The summit will give the boards of the four professional clubs an opportunity to outline what they want from the future model, while also allowing the WRU to set out its own expectations of the clubs.

That could include greater alignment between the three professional sides and the Super Rygbi Cymru clubs, or improved access for the Wales head coach to players during the season.

There could also be discussions around the geographical make-up of the three licences, including whether Bridgend should fall under the central or west licence and whether north Wales should be covered by the east or west licence.

With external advisers also expected to contribute, the summit will examine the wider financial landscape of European club rugby, including the cost of running a professional club capable of competing regularly for major honours, which is the level of ambition the WRU ultimately wants its professional game to reach.

Competition structures and the longer-term future of the professional game will also be on the agenda, with discussions expected to consider what the landscape could look like over the next decade.

The WRU has already formally expressed an interest in Welsh clubs joining the Gallagher PREM, prompting the United Rugby Championship to threaten legal action.

The move underlines the governing body's desire to take Welsh professional rugby out of the URC and into an English domestic competition.

That ambition could also have a significant bearing on the number of professional clubs in Wales, with the eventual structure potentially influenced by how many Welsh sides the English are prepared to accommodate.

But that is an argument for another day.

No decision on which team goes

It is important to stress that the summit will not determine which three clubs make up the future professional structure, nor will it decide whether the Ospreys or Scarlets are the ones to lose their place.

Those decisions will come at a later stage, with the meeting instead focused on establishing the framework and principles that will shape the future of the professional game in Wales.

A series of further meetings will follow the summit in early 2027, when the process of determining the make-up of the three-club structure will begin to take shape.

The Dragons' owners will be given first refusal on the eastern licence. However, should they be unwilling to accept the framework agreed at the summit and decide to withdraw, the licence will be put out to tender.

The same principle will apply to Cardiff, despite the club being owned by the WRU. The governing body is understood to be keen to sell Cardiff to private investors in the not-too-distant future, but the club will still be offered first refusal on the central licence.

If both Cardiff and the Dragons agree to take up their respective licences, the WRU will then launch a tender process for the western licence, setting the Ospreys and Scarlets against each other.

The process will be overseen by the WRU, with its board ultimately responsible for deciding which three teams will form the future professional structure.

That is the current timetable, although it remains subject to change should external factors alter the direction of travel.

Assuming the plans remain on course, the decision is expected to be made in April or May, with an announcement due in June.