What happened with the Scarlets-Ospreys merger last time, the shock and fury, why it failed and why it's being proposed again

A report into the viability of regional rugby in its current guise has come up with a recommendation that is extremely familiar.

Just over three years ago, Welsh rugby was thrust into its latest round of chaos when it emerged that the Ospreys were on the verge of merging with the Scarlets, and that is one of the suggestions that has come out of the 2022 report.

The 2019 saga, which came slap bang in the middle of a Grand Slam bid, is the last time Welsh rugby came close to losing one of its four professional entities. So how did we reach that point, why did it fail and why are we back here again?

WRU issue statement amid shock proposal to axe Welsh team and regional boss responds

Three years ago players, and just about everybody else, were blindsided by sudden planned reports of the Ospreys and Scarlets becoming one. It engulfed Welsh rugby in a matter of hours and led to emergency meetings being held with all relevant parties, including the players, many of whom were leading the Grand Slam charge under Warren Gatland.

The reports were preceded by concerns over the Ospreys’ finances. Their previous annual accounts reported a loss of £500,000 and projected cash flow problems in the 12 months that followed. It reached a point where players were even told that the region would cease to exist beyond the approaching off-season.

This was against a similar backdrop to what we currently find in Welsh rugby today. The game as a whole was struggling financially and there was a general sense that something had to change. After much discussion it was decided that there was a growth market in North Wales that was largely untapped, but to make room for the emergence of a pro team there one of the four along the M4 corridor had to