RFU confirms WRU has formally asked to join Anglo-Welsh league
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, who joined the RFU in 2019, told BBC Radio Four on 6 November 2026 that the Welsh Rugby Union has made a formal approach to join an Anglo-Welsh competition. "We have received a formal approach," Sweeney said. "We asked for that and we wanted it in writing. We wanted to understand a few points and that has been submitted to us."
The English Premiership is planning to expand from 10 to 12 teams for the 2029-30 season and has a stated long-term ambition to grow further. Wales currently fields four professional sides — Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons — in the 16-team United Rugby Championship, a competition in which the national unions of Scotland, Ireland, Italy and South Africa are stakeholders.
The Premiership's structure was reduced to 10 teams after three clubs — Worcester, Wasps and London Irish — folded during the 2022-23 season. Landmark changes to English rugby removed traditional promotion and relegation from the start of the 2026-27 season and replaced it with an application process for entry to the top flight.
Under the new entry system, clubs will be judged across a range of criteria rather than gaining automatic promotion; bids will be assessed on "standard of play, finances, investment potential, infrastructure and how their geographical base could help spread the Prem's appeal, among other factors." Conditions initially set said any team wanting to play in the Premiership will need to complete a campaign in the Championship before being considered.
Sweeney reiterated the RFU's priority for domestic growth while addressing the WRU approach: "Our primary focus is on the expansion of the English game," he said. "We have had some developments there recently with no longer having an automatic promotion or relegation but having an expansion game. "Financial criteria, fan base, geographical location, ability on the field of play, will determine whether you can get into the Prem or not. "We see that as a way of expanding the 10 teams and our focus is on expanding the English game. "But we have been approached [by the WRU] and it is responsible for us to go back and ask more questions."
The RFU has sought clarity on how any Welsh exit from the URC would work and on cross-border implications, with Sweeney saying: "There are some fundamental questions there. "We don't yet have a clear understanding of how they would legally exit the URC which they are a member of, so that has to be clarified in some detail. "Going into cross-border competition has different ramifications and we have to be clear around the complexities." The BBC has contacted the URC about whether the WRU could face legal action over lobbying to join another league.
The WRU has announced it will award licences to Cardiff and Dragons and expects to pit Ospreys and Scarlets against each other for the west Wales licence, with a final decision expected by the summer of 2027. New WRU chair Lyndon Faulkner has said he will review all options, including the possibility of keeping four professional sides, and has indicated he supports the idea of an Anglo-Welsh tournament.
When approached after Sweeney's remarks, the WRU referred to a statement it issued last week: "Welsh men's professional teams compete in the URC and the WRU is committed to providing four teams to the URC until the end of the 2027-28 season. By the end of this season, the WRU will have determined the future operating model for the men's game in Wales."