A group of Welsh MPs on the Welsh Select Affairs Committee has warned the Welsh Rugby Union that it is out of touch with fans after facing a grilling over its plans to cut a professional team.

Chair Richard Collier-Keywood and chief executive Abi Tierney were asked about a range of topics spanning the finances of the Welsh game, their plans to cut a region, the community level, and the Cardiff-Ospreys situation.

The pair were given a stark message from the Welsh Affairs Select Committee after evidence was heard from supporters representing the four teams in the current set-up.

“By going down the path of losing a professional team, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) risks throwing the baby out with the bath water and alienating supporters,” a statement from the cross-party group read.

“There seems to be an immense disconnect between the WRU and fans. [They] need to do more to bring people with them and communicate that it has a vision for a successful future for Welsh rugby – from the grassroots through to the top of the professional game.”

Collier-Keywood began the questioning by outlining the financial challenges that the Union has faced since Covid.

The WRU had taken out an £18m Covid support loan from the Welsh government in 2022, for which it subsequently appealed for an improvement in terms.

But a new £55m package – via banks HSBC and Goldman Sachs – will see the Welsh government loan and a separate commercial loan paid off.

“Neither of those two organisations would have invested in us if they’d had any concerns about our governance or the future plans that we’ve put forward to them – and I think that’s a real statement of positivity towards the future of Welsh rugby,” said Collier-Keywood.

The more pressing matter, though, was the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Ospreys, after the Union had reportedly entered into an exclusivity period with Y11 – Ospreys’ majority shareholders – to buy Cardiff.

“To repeat, whichever team is no longer there, there are impacts,” said Tierney. “For the Ospreys, I absolutely get how important rugby is in Swansea.

“It’s not just about the professional game. It’s about investing elsewhere, Swansea RFC and the women’s game.

“Whatever decision we make, we will be looking at how we can secure rugby in all those different pathways to mitigate the changes.”

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