Welsh rugby’s merger bingo – that now pairs the Ospreys to combine with the Scarlets – will be discussed this evening by the four regions and the Welsh Rugby Union against a backdrop of outrage and suspicion.
The proposal that was put to the staff of both west Wales regions on Monday has met with widespread derision, particularly on social media.
Only vague plans have so far been given to those at the sharp end, but they are expected to include job losses, including some players.
The merged region has no name, but there are plans for a home, with Guinness Pro 14 matches to be played at Parc Y Scarlets and European games at the Liberty Stadium. They would train at the Ospreys’ current base at Llandarcy.
It’s anticipated by those driving the change that fans would simply merge, also – but then this is the same organisation that believed Celtic Warriors fans in Pontypridd would simply jump in their cars and drive down the A470 to support the Cardiff Blues.
The existing playing squads would be combined with longer contracts transferred and the plan would be to have the new set-up ready for next season, alongside a new region based in North Wales.
The Cardiff Blues and the Dragons would carry on in their current form – but then it is only Tuesday and there are five days of this week still to get through.
All this has been driven by the WRU at a time when Ospreys and Scarlets players who are part of Warren Gatland’s national side are just two victories away from a first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2012 having won their last 12 games.
The Ospreys and Scarlets boast some of Gatland’s biggest Six Nations stars including captain Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Jonathan Davies, Justin Tipuric, Rob Evans, Samson Lee and Gareth Davies.
WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips has long been keen to establish a new outfit in north Wales, which has led to the current outfits – Dragons, Cardiff Blues, Ospreys and Scarlets – fearing for their future.
The new region would have a higher budget than both the Ospreys and Scarlets respectively and the hope is the combined region will stand a chance of competing to win the Heineken Champions Cup.
But there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the plans, particularly how secure the Blues and the Dragons would be for the long-term.
If the new strategy is being driven by a combination of a financial crisis and poor geographical decision-making back in 2003, then the future of the east Wales pair looks uncertain.
They are just as strapped for cash as their brothers in the west and their close proximity is not very different to the 12 miles that separates the Liberty Stadium from Parc Y Scarlets.
It should also be remembered – and be a source of inspiration to angry and disillusioned fans of both affected regions – that not all these types of changes end up happening.
Two years ago, there were concrete proposals in France to merge Stade Francais and Racing 92 to form one super-club in Paris.
Fans of both objected, agitation turned to organisation, and the Paris match quickly disappeared.
Before that, the Irish Rugby Football Union tried to close down Connacht in 2003, but a memorable march from Galway to Dublic created a surge of support for the region and those ideas were also abandoned.
Little more than a decade later, Connacht became Pro 12 champions.
