Ospreys’ Struggles Raise Concerns About Welsh Rugby’s Future
The Ospreys have endured a challenging period, conceding over 60 points for the second consecutive week. Their 61-20 loss to Leinster followed a 61-24 thrashing against the Bulls in Pretoria, leaving Toby Booth’s side eight points off the top eight playoff positions with two rounds remaining in the BBC Rugby Union news.
The lackluster performances mean Wales faces the prospect of having no team in the Champions Cup next season and no representation in the URC playoffs for the second year running. The reduced wage bills for the four Welsh sides, now capped at £5.2 million for this season, have resulted in smaller squads. This figure is set to decrease further to £4.5 million for the 2024-25 campaign.
“We can’t compete with the top five or six sides. Until something changes, we are going to be constantly in the bottom half of the table.” – Former Wales international Jonathan Shanklin
Shanklin, speaking on Scrum V Sunday, was candid in his assessment, warning that the continued struggles could lead to fans turning away from rugby union in Wales.
“We need teams to be in quarter-finals and semi-finals and in the latter stages of Europe because at the moment we are way off.” Without higher budgets and the ability to retain talent, Shanklin warned, “I can’t see us improving next year, in fact I think it will be worse.”
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