The UAFC

jean valjean wrote:That's a ban not to be sniffed at.

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Neill_M wrote:Tonight’s games

Glasgow 43-17 Connacht 5-0 MP FT
Ospreys 13-19 Munster 1-4 MP FT
Leinster 59-19 Kings 5-0 MP FT

solidarity wrote:

Neill_M wrote:Tonight’s games

Glasgow 43-17 Connacht 5-0 MP FT
Ospreys 13-19 Munster 1-4 MP FT
Leinster 59-19 Kings 5-0 MP FT

Pretty predictable.

Neill_M wrote:Ospreys in no mood for a merger. Does appear the WRU don’t see a future for them in current format with a new side in the North.

Project Reset: Deadlock over Ospreys-Scarlets merger

Ospreys say they are "not on the verge of a merger" with Scarlets.

As part of 'Project Reset' the rival regions were expected to merge, with a new team created in the north of Wales.

But in the latest twist to plans to reorganise professional rugby in Wales, Ospreys accuse the body overseeing the changes of "recklessness" and "incompetent management".

A statement said the approach "has resulted in wild conjecture, hostility and uncertainty in the regional game".

Welsh rugby's newly-created Professional Rugby Board (PRB) - made up of representatives of the Welsh Rugby Union and four current regions - met on Tuesday when the merger was expected to be on the agenda.

But the Swansea-based region's chairman Mike James announced his resignation at the beginning of the meeting and left.

Now the region have declared they are not merging with their west Wales rivals and have called for a complete rethink of the process.

"The instability created by PRB's chaotic approach to its own imposed restructuring criteria has been the height of recklessness at its worst and incompetent management at its best," the statement said.

"Welsh rugby and the supporters of Welsh rugby deserve better. And the players, families, suppliers, commercial partners and those whose livelihoods depend on the regional game, certainly deserve better."

The discussions between the WRU and regions have been dubbed 'Project Reset'. Previous proposals had included merging Ospreys and Cardiff Blues but those plans fell through.

Ospreys and Scarlets are fierce rivals, and have been the most consistently successful of the Welsh regions since their creation in 2003 - having won the domestic league six times between them.

The other two regions, Dragons and Cardiff Blues, have never won the title.

The statement adds that all options are open for discussion, but that 'Project Reset' needs to be reset.

"The Ospreys are NOT on the verge of merging with the Scarlets," it said.

"The Ospreys are not afraid to think the unthinkable. Our region was born out of the previously unimaginable merger of Swansea and Neath and, later, the seamless integration of Bridgend.

"We remain the only region to have truly embraced, lived and breathed the concept of regional rugby. Our reward and Wales's reward, has been an unparalleled level of success for our region and an unrivalled contribution to the national team.

"We fully recognise the WRU's argument that the regional game requires further restructuring in order to remain viable and we support this principle.

"But the way this has been approached has led to a fundamental breakdown in the fabric of the game. This must stop now. A new process must be expedited, with respected and competent leadership - professionally outlined and responsibly led - with transparency and genuine consultation as its foundation."
PRB responds

The PRB disputes the Ospreys' view and maintains its desire to pursue a merger between the two regions.

"The PRB would like to make clear that the statements issued today by the Ospreys do not reconcile with the minuted meetings, actions and documented agreements that have taken place to date," said a statement released jointly by the PRB and WRU.

"We met today, expecting to finalise a comprehensive proposal for the consideration of the WRU board. A central component of the proposal was a merger between the Scarlets and Ospreys.

"The PRB were advised Heads of Terms for the merger had been reached between the two regions on Friday 1st March. A central component of the proposal was a merger between the Scarlets and Ospreys.

"We support the principle of the proposed merger, not least because it is in keeping with the overall strategic direction agreed in planning sessions attended and agreed by the entire PRB in January.

"The PRB wishes to put on record its disappointment at the timing and the uncertainty that this has caused players, staff, coaches and the Welsh rugby public.

"We are reunited in its pursuit of what is best for professional rugby in Wales."

The PRB statement was signed by regional chairmen David Buttress (Dragons), Nigel Short (Scarlets) and Alun Jones (Cardiff Blues), WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips, finance director Steve Phillips and independent chairman David Lovett.