Welsh rugby is at risk of seeing more of its key players depart, as ongoing uncertainty about the sport’s future in the country has left athletes feeling frustrated, alone, and battling with mental health issues.

In 2023, Mail Sport covered a situation where the Welsh national team considered forfeiting their Six Nations match against England due to turmoil with contracts and finances.

Two years on, well-placed sources have indicated the current state of Welsh rugby is ‘10 times worse than at the time of the strike threat’.

Currently, Welsh rugby faces the threat of losing more top talent, potentially two of its professional teams, and its standing as a significant rugby nation, as ongoing uncertainties continue to cause frustration, isolation, and mental health struggles among players.

The Welsh Rugby Union is currently battling severe financial problems. It is a very real possibility the governing body will cut its number of professional teams from four to three, or – most likely – two in the coming years as it restructures the professional game.

Losing a team or two cannot happen officially until 2027 due to the structure of player contracts. But clubs and players have been left in the dark over what happens next. And it seems to only point one way.

The WRU is contracted to provide four competing teams to the United Rugby Championship and it is understood that if a cut was to take place, the URC would prefer Wales go from four to two and not three, to maintain an even number of sides to make match scheduling easier.

There is also the possibility that Wales cutting to two teams would allow the survivors to join the Premiership in the future. The creation of an Anglo-Welsh league has long been seen as a cure to rugby’s ills in Wales, and it is understood regional discussions about joining the Premiership were held at the European finals weekend in Cardiff in May.

No region has been given assurances over their future, and the urgency is best exhibited by the status of the country’s co-captains, Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake. Morgan is currently excelling with the British & Irish Lions in Australia, pushing hard for a starting Test place, while Lake skippers Wales on a tour of Japan that began in disastrous fashion and might never have happened – more on that later.

Both players, who have led their country since 2023, are out of contract at Ospreys at the end of the upcoming season. Morgan’s impressive Lions performances and Lake’s talent, combined with the state of the Welsh game, are sure to lead to them receiving interest from English and French clubs, among others, in the coming months.

But they are not the only ones. A source close to the camp said: ‘The players have had enough of all the uncertainty. The vultures are circling.’

Lake was previously of interest to Premiership side Sale before signing a one-year deal with the Ospreys. Wing Josh Adams and back-row forward Aaron Wainwright will also be out of contract this time next year.

To represent Wales, a player must be contracted to one of the country’s regions, unless they have 25 caps or more. Morgan, with 23 caps, will not be able to add to those until November at the earliest, with Lake set to win his 22nd in Saturday’s second Japan Test. It is understood that many internationals with fewer than 25 caps are considering moving to English clubs to secure their long-term future, despite it ending their international careers.

Another complicating factor is rugby’s new proposed rebel league, R360. Wales do still have talented players who might be attracted by a fresh challenge or moves to  England or France. Many have already done so, with Adam Beard and Gareth Anscombe off to France next season.

And Wales’ latest on-field low shows they do not have talent to lose, slipping from 19-7 up to a 24-19 defeat by a desperately poor Japan side containing eight debutants last Saturday. It extended the national team’s horror losing run to 18 and pushed them to a record low of 14th in the world rankings, leapfrogged by their hosts and Samoa.

The USA, in 15th, are closing in too, and returning to the top 12 before the end of the autumn is a must to ensure an easier group-stage draw for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. That quest begins on Saturday morning in Kobe, where nothing but victory will suffice.

It is understood Wales’ players even spoke about refusing to tour the Far East in protest at the regional uncertainty, although the idea was soon abandoned.

The wife of one player asked an estate agent to value their house with a view to putting it on the market, because they felt they would not be able to afford their existing mortgage if job losses were to take place. It summed up a feeling of anxiety.

‘In 2023, there was concern about the make-up of contracts – this time, it’s whether there are any jobs at all,’ a source said. ‘The long-term priority for some players is no longer to be in Wales and to play for Wales, but to get a job full stop. It is currently difficult for the regions to recruit new players or re-sign current ones.

‘You can understand why a player might not want to join a business you don’t know is going to be there in 12 or 24 months. Players are asking what is going to happen next and unfortunately, we are not able to give them an answer. We need clarity about the future as soon as possible.’

The WRPA, which now has a seat on Welsh rugby’s Professional Rugby Board, and the WRU have agreed that if the number of teams is cut and job losses occur, existing contracts will be honoured.

However, there has been a loss of confidence in the player representative body, led by chief executive Gareth Lewis, which has recently lost a number of key personnel, including former international James King. Player sources have indicated the WRPA were said to have felt like the contractual guarantee was ‘like winning the lottery’, while players felt far from jubilant, as they may well be out of work in the coming years.

The WRU say the potential for fewer sides does not necessarily mean fewer players. Should the WRU confirm its intention to cut a side or two, it is possible the teams at risk will launch legal action against the motion.

WRU chief executive Abi Tierney and chair Richard Collier-Keywood had long maintained they wanted a Welsh rugby future of four, equally funded teams. But that changed in May, when the Swansea-based Ospreys and the Scarlets, in Llanelli, did not sign up to a new agreement on how Welsh rugby would be run. They say they did so because they had concerns over how the four clubs would be funded fairly going forward, following the WRU’s takeover of Cardiff after they entered administration.

Cardiff and Dragons both signed up, but the latter are understood to have done so after the deadline. The WRU responded by confirming equal regional funding would no longer be considered, throwing the future of the Ospreys and Scarlets up in the air.

A regional source said: ‘The WRU set fire to the house, but they’ve no idea what they want next or where to go. It was a bizarre and appalling way of behaving. It all came out of nowhere. We don’t know why the WRU moved the goalposts.’

The WRU has argued strongly their deadline was part of a plan to refinance the Welsh game and that the deal had been on the table since October 2024. They say every chance to sign was offered to the regions, but there had to be a line drawn in the sand.

The WRU believe there is a way ahead and have promised they will make Welsh rugby successful again, aiming to confirm the future regional plan by the autumn. But by then, many players may have already had enough.

On June 27, a key meeting between the WRU, the regions and their respective lawyers was called off at the last minute, further vexing the players. It is understood the meeting was cancelled because Ospreys owners Y11 – who are based in the Far East – were not able to attend in person.

The two things top of Tierney and Collier-Keywood’s in-tray are sorting the future of the regions and appointing a new permanent men’s coach. A coaching announcement is expected soon, with Steve Tandy and Simon Easterby the leading contenders.

Tierney is currently in Japan with Wales and is then set to travel to Australia with the Lions, where her presence for crucial rugby meetings is required in person. But back at home, there are more pressing matters.

Among Welsh players, there is a concern the WRU lacks the rugby knowledge to turn the situation around. A crucial few months await and the WRU must be bold. The decisions made will define Welsh rugby’s future.