Scarlets have signed the Welsh Rugby Union’s Professional Rugby Agreement after more than a year of dispute, becoming the last of the four Welsh regions to do so. The deal ends an immediate stand-off and brings short-term financial certainty, which matters because it stabilises Welsh professional rugby for now after months of tension over governance, funding and Cardiff’s rescue by the WRU. However, that stability is limited, as the agreement only runs until the end of the 2027-28 season and does not resolve the wider debate about the game’s long-term structure in Wales.

Under the new arrangement, funding for each region will rise to £6.5m over the next two years, up from £4.5m per year previously. Ospreys and Scarlets had delayed signing while seeking assurances that Cardiff, taken over by the WRU in 2025 after facing collapse, would not receive favourable treatment and while asking about past debts. The announcement also comes after Scarlets reported a £2.1m loss for their latest financial year, while the WRU still plans to reduce the number of men’s professional regional sides from four to three, a proposal that has prompted criticism, protests and legal action.