Two Welsh professional teams competing in England's Gallagher Premiership next season remains an unlikely prospect, sources say.
Speculation has flared up amid the turmoil in English rugby which has seen Worcester Warriors and Wasps hit with financial problems which have left both with uncertain futures.
A report has claimed initial talks have already taken place between the Welsh Rugby Union and Premiership Rugby about a couple of regions joining English rugby’s elite competition from the start of 2023-24, with Cardiff and the Scarlets said to be the "most likely". But WalesOnline understands it’s odds-against such a scenario panning out.
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There are long-term contracts in place with the United Rugby Championship which could lead to litigation and potential fines if broken, and a well-placed Welsh rugby source indicated if talks had taken place — he had not heard of any — then they would not have been official.
Both Worcester Warriors and Wasps have been rocked by financial problems, with the Warriors facing potential suspension from RFU competitions over their issues and Wasps operating under the spectre of administration and possible relegation from the Premiership.
But English Championship clubs such as Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster have been given fresh hope that a route might open up for them to possibly join the top flight over the border after the English Professional Game Board agreed new minimum standards criteria which cover requirements for promotion to the Gallagher Premiership. The tweaked rules say that from 2023-24 a club must have a capacity of 5,000 plus planning permission to develop their ground to hold 10,001 for the start of the 2024-25 campaign, with funding in place by January 2023 to do the necessary.
That offers ambitious Championship clubs hope that, if they so desire and their results merit it, they might yet reach English rugby’s highest tier.
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