Former Wales captain Jonathan Davies has added his voice to growing demands for the Welsh Rugby Union's board to step down, amid escalating criticism of the governing body's leadership and its plans to reduce professional teams from four to three.
Davies, a former dual-code international and current pundit, made the call on social media on Friday, 14 August 2026, according to Wales Online. He also endorsed criticism of the WRU leadership previously voiced by former Cardiff board member and businesswoman Hayley Parsons.
This board has been in place for three years and failed to deliver.
It is now time for them to have a look at themselves and decide whether it is time for them to step aside and leave somebody else come in and take over.
An interim board to settle the ship and pick a board fit for purpose.
Welsh business leaders have separately urged the board to resign, while politicians in Swansea have called specifically for chief executive Abi Tierney to leave her post.
Who currently sits on the WRU board?
The board has 11 members following the March 2026 departure of chair Richard Collier-Keywood. Alongside Tierney, the board includes interim vice-chair John Manders; independent directors Jamie Roberts, Jennifer Mathias, Andrew Williams, Alison Thorne and Amanda Bennett; elected members Claire Donovan, Chris Jones and Colin Wilks; and interim Professional Rugby Board chair Marianne Okland. The process to appoint a permanent successor to Collier-Keywood is ongoing, though the WRU has signalled that any incoming independent chair will be expected to back the three-team proposal. The WRU has been approached for comment.
Why is the WRU under pressure over its restructuring plan?
The governing body has recently reaffirmed its intention to cut the number of professional teams from four to three by 2028, with WRU-owned Cardiff and privately backed Dragons set to retain licences for the capital and east Wales respectively. That leaves Scarlets and Ospreys competing for a single west Wales licence, casting fresh doubt over both clubs' futures.
According to RTÉ, the WRU has confirmed the three-team model is intended to begin with the 2028/29 season, and only incumbent teams will be eligible to apply for the remaining licences. A separate report from the national broadcaster's rugby coverage states the plan includes annual funding of £6.4 million per team initially, rising to £7.8 million over time.
This latest wave of criticism follows earlier scrutiny of the WRU's governance. Our previous coverage noted that Central Glamorgan Rugby Union withdrew motions for an extraordinary general meeting after Collier-Keywood's resignation was announced, opting instead to seek constructive engagement on governance reforms and urging a pause on the team-reduction plans. That EGM had previously been convened at Principality Stadium to address leadership changes, team reductions and broader governance issues facing Welsh rugby.
How have the clubs themselves responded?
Scarlets managing director Jon Daniels has denied any suggestion of a merger between Scarlets and Ospreys and has repeatedly pressed the WRU for greater transparency over its decision-making. In earlier remarks covered in our reporting, Daniels urged the WRU to publish the case underpinning its plan to reduce teams, and the union had separately set out its 2028 timeline for cutting the west Wales team.
Ospreys have now responded publicly for the first time, formally telling the WRU that reducing the number of professional sides is the wrong decision, according to a report from the national broadcaster's sport desk. The club maintains that four professional sides remains the right structure for the Welsh game.
What is Davies calling for beyond the board's resignation?
Davies argued that the sport's connection to ordinary supporters has been eroded and said restoring that link should be the union's first priority.
Welsh rugby has stopped belonging to the people.
That is the first thing I would fix.
The people of Wales need to decide whether they want rugby union as part of their identity, culture and soul. And we all know the answer to that. The purpose of the Welsh Rugby Union is to deliver that to the people.
To provide a game that exists in every village and town - that forms a foundation stone to build a pathway to bring on our best talent - into the regions and to the national side.
To harness the unique passion and talent that exists in Wales and build a sustainable future.
He also warned that the economic and sporting health of the game in Wales was deteriorating and urged supporters, players, regions and clubs to make their voices heard.
The economy and the game in Wales is suffering. It is time now for people to voice their opinions, ex players, regions, and the clubs and the fans most importantly and say change is needed.
It is up to us to force the changes otherwise this is not going away and in five or 10 years we will be in a far worse state.
Let's get together and try and make a change.
Davies's intervention came after Hayley Parsons called for the board to stand down, and Rob Regan, a former chief operating officer of Principality Building Society, said he was prepared to join an alternative interim board tasked with appointing a new permanent leadership team.
What happens next in the restructuring process?
The WRU's timetable for finalising its licensing framework is due to begin in December 2026, with the process expected to conclude before the end of the 2026/27 season, according to RTÉ. The reduced three-team structure is scheduled to come into effect from the start of the 2028/29 season. An earlier WRU update had aimed to settle the restructuring by the end of 2025, but that deadline slipped after the union failed to reach agreement, according to Wales Online.
- Jonathan Davies has called for the WRU board, in place for three years, to resign and be replaced by an interim board.
- Business leaders and Swansea politicians have separately demanded the resignation of the board and chief executive Abi Tierney.
- Ospreys have formally rejected the WRU's plan to cut professional teams from four to three, while Scarlets deny any merger is planned.
- The three-team model, covering capital, east and west Wales, is scheduled to start in the 2028/29 season with funding of £6.4 million rising to £7.8 million per team.
- The WRU's licensing framework process begins in December 2026 and must conclude by the end of the 2026/27 season.
