What did Wales’ four regions say?published at 13:43 BST
13:43 BST
As you can imagine, bosses at Wales’ four current regions weren’t happy about the number of teams potentially being halved.
Dragons are based in Newport and have already said that elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent – an area of south-east Wales that once had five top-tier teams.
Ospreys and Scarlets – based in Swansea and Llanelli respectively – had previously not signed a new funding deal with the Welsh Rugby Union, a situation that has partly led to this latest radical proposal.
Ospreys have plans to move into a new stadium in Swansea for the 2026-27 season while Scarlets have recently unveiled new investors.
The club said the WRU proposals were already affecting investment and player recruitment. Scarlets said they would continue to work constructively with the WRU on the structural review but were “driven by the ambition to grow the club and safeguard its future”.
Cardiff, however, are now owned by the WRU after the capital region went into administration earlier this year.