![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769331011_549_1_Wales-v-South-Africa-Quilter-Nations-Series-2025.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe latest rugby news stories from Wales and beyond today<\/p>\n
The Welsh Rugby Players’ Association has issued a statement(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Here are the latest rugby headlines on Saturday, January 24.<\/p>\n
Welsh players appear to step back<\/p>\n
The Welsh Rugby Players’ Association says it has been given the clarity it sought from the Welsh Rugby Union after warning players would “consider their positions and next steps” on the eve of the Six Nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n A statement on Wednesday set the union a deadline of February 6<\/a> to provide an explanation on where players stood heading into next season amid Ospreys owners Y11’s proposed purchase of Cardiff. While it is still unclear what it will mean in the longer term, the union’s assurance the Ospreys will continue for at least the rest of this season and the entirety of next season appears to have satisfied the WRPA for now.<\/p>\n A new statement following confirmation four teams will compete in the URC next season reads: “This represents a positive and timely further update to the WRPA statement issued on 21 January, providing welcome clarity for players and stakeholders ahead of the 6 February deadline. It is the outcome of consistent and proactive engagement by the WRPA CEO and Executive team, enabling the Association to operate with a clear understanding of the broader landscape.<\/p>\n “This clarity builds on the earlier confirmation secured from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) that all existing player contracts will be honoured from July 2025, helping to provide stability and certainty for players, staff and their families.<\/p>\n “The WRPA\u2019s position within the PRB and its close involvement in ongoing discussions has allowed the Association to assess the situation strategically and, on this occasion, help facilitate a viable solution that removes uncertainty for the next 12 months. This enables the PRB and WRU to focus on other matters outside the WRPA\u2019s direct remit, while the Association continues to work collaboratively with both organisations to ensure players\u2019 views are fully represented and valued.<\/p>\n “The WRPA welcomes the PRB\u2019s swift response and recognises the reassurance this update provides to players as they plan for next season and the remainder of this one. The Association will continue to engage constructively with the PRB on the remaining issues raised and remains fully committed to advocating for stability, transparency and a sustainable future for Welsh professional rugby.”<\/p>\n While the tone of the statement appears positive, fans are still demanding to know what the plan is beyond next season. The WRU and Y11 have given no details on that, while Swansea<\/a> Council leader Rob Stewart has halted funding for the redevelopment of St Helen’s and claimed the WRU have indicated to him “the Ospreys have no viable future”<\/a>. Another politician, Swansea West’s Torsten Bell MP, has concluded the Ospreys are being “stitched up”<\/a> after he held talks with Y11 and WRU bosses.<\/p>\n Dragons come so close<\/p>\n Fly-half Tony Butler kicked Munster to a 22-20 victory over the Dragons as they fought back from a 13-point deficit to climb into third place in the United Rugby Championship table.<\/p>\n Full-back Angus O\u2019Brien put the visitors ahead with an 11th-minute penalty, and they were 10-0 in front when hooker Brodie Coghlan touched down and O\u2019Brien duly obliged with the conversion.<\/p>\n Their charge might have been dented by Harry Beddall\u2019s yellow card, but the Dragons were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage and the flanker was back on the pitch by the time O\u2019Brien landed a second penalty to make it 13-0.<\/p>\n However, number eight Brian Gleeson\u2019s try and a Butler conversion meant the Irish side trailed by just six points at the break.<\/p>\n Winger Dai Richards\u2019 try and an O\u2019Brien conversion eased the visitors 20-7 ahead, but replacement back row Gavin Coombes\u2019 quickfire double, the second of which was converted by Butler, dragged the hosts back to within a point.<\/p>\n Butler\u2019s penalty edged his side 22-20 in front with five minutes remaining and they managed to defend their lead to the whistle.<\/p>\n Davies calls out WRU and Y11<\/p>\n Former Wales international Jonathan Davies has called out rugby bosses for their handling of the current Welsh rugby crisis, insisting they must do better.<\/p>\n The ex-Scarlets man, who is a pundit for Premier Sports this weekend, demanded more transparency from the WRU and Ospreys<\/a> owners at such a difficult time.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWelsh rugby is in muddy waters at the moment. Players perform best when there\u2019s clarity and transparency and right now there isn\u2019t enough of either. If we want the regions and the national team competing at the highest levels, the environment has to be clear and professional.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI genuinely feel for the players. They\u2019re expected to put their bodies on the line without knowing what the future holds. It feels like everyone has been kept in the dark for too long.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pro teams, the players, coaches and performance staff are still operating like professionals, but the people at the top aren\u2019t matching those standards. If you expect excellence on the pitch, you have to deliver it off the pitch too.\u201d<\/p>\n Premier Sports will broadcast a full slate of Welsh fixtures in the BKT United Rugby Championship this weekend, with Scarlets<\/a> and Cardiff<\/a> Rugby in action today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest rugby news stories from Wales and beyond today The Welsh Rugby Players’ Association has issued a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[26771,5903,101,56,54,55,9015,9051],"class_list":["post-389436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-ospreys","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wales-rugby-team","tag-welsh-rugby-union"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}