Ospreys sign WRU's PRA25 deal, leaving Scarlets as sole unsigned Welsh region

Ospreys have signed the Welsh Rugby Union’s new Professional Rugby Agreement, becoming the third of Wales’s four professional regions to commit to PRA25 and intensifying scrutiny on the Scarlets, who remain the sole holdout.

The deal was agreed between the WRU and the Ospreys’ owners, Y11 Sport & Media, and runs until the end of the 2027-28 season. It brings the Swansea-based region into line with Dragons RFC and Cardiff Rugby, who had already signed up to the framework designed to deliver greater financial stability and closer alignment between the union and the professional club game.

In a statement, the Ospreys said they were “delighted” with the agreement, describing it as signalling “a period of stability for the Region” and highlighting that “a key element of the new agreement is that it provides for greater collaboration with the WRU, including growth of alignment on the playing side in particular.” The club also noted that work is now underway on their new stadium at St. Helen’s.

The WRU welcomed the development, with chief executive Abi Tierney confirming that discussions with the Scarlets are ongoing. “PRA25 creates greater alignment across rugby in Wales, and I am very pleased that constructive discussions with Y11 Sport & Media have led to the Ospreys signing the agreement,” she said. “Three out of four of our regional men’s clubs are now on PRA25 and due diligence work with the Scarlets is continuing. We look forward to having all of our men’s professional teams on the agreement ahead of the start of the next United Rugby Championship in September.”

The WRU’s statement framed PRA25 as a mechanism to “increase collaboration across the entire rugby ecosystem” and establish “the foundations for success in all areas of the professional game in Wales.”

With three regions now signed, the long-running debate over whether Wales should reduce its professional sides from four to three has not been resolved, and the Scarlets’ position as the only unsigned region places them under heightened pressure. Tierney’s reference to a September deadline — the start of the next United Rugby Championship — gives a clear timeline for when the WRU hopes to have all four regions aligned under the new agreement.