Welsh Premiership's future could see famous teams cut as battle lies ahead for good of the game

The future of the Welsh Premiership is very much back on the agenda, amid talk of an enhanced role for the competition and a possible reduction in the number of clubs. After a deeply disappointing season on the international front, both for Wayne Pivac’s senior side and the age-grade teams, there has been a lot of scrutiny on the development pathway.

There’s a recognition from the powers-that-be that it needs to be improved and it looks as though the semi-pro Premiership is going to play a key part in that. The WRU’s Performance Director Nigel Walker hinted as much last week when he said the league could offer the solution in providing more game-time for talented young players, such as those in the Wales U20s squad. You can read the full interview with Walker here.

It seems we are heading for something of a step-shift. Back in 2018, the Premiership was effectively downgraded in terms of its status. Following a review commissioned by the WRU, big changes were introduced. Regional A sides were set up, based on a view there was too big a gulf between the Premiership and the old PRO14.

These new A teams were to be the key developmental stepping stone, playing in a Celtic Cup against Irish provincial A sides, with the Premiership having less of a role in the pathway. Tied in with that, funding to the Welsh semi-pro clubs was to be reduced from £92,000 per team to £50,000 over a four-year period.

But now the pendulum is swinging back again. The Celtic Cup went into hibernation during Covid and it doesn’t look as though it’s going to re-emerge. The financial restrictions the regions are working under means it’s virtually impossible for them to have the squad depth required to run A teams for any sustained period during the