“WRU, shame on you,” shouted hundreds of Ospreys fans in protest at a move that could see their region disappear for more than a year.
They gathered in front of a mural of Wales Bridgend legend and British and Irish Lions defender JPR Williams ahead of the United Rugby Championship (URC) home derby win over the Dragons 19-13 at the Bridgend Brewery.
advertise
Fans and former Ospreys players have spoken out against the area’s owners, Y11 Sport and Media, the preferred bidder to take over Cardiff from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) amid plans to reduce the number of professional men’s teams in Wales.
Ospreys Supporters Club (OSC) president Sarah Collins-Davies said that by staging the protest they wanted to show the rugby community how important the area is to them.
Collins-Davies told BBC Sport Wales: “We will not go soft, we will not give in without a fight, we will fight to the end and we will never give up.”
Former Ospreys and Wales lock Ian Gough told the crowd, “We believe all four teams are capable and we need the Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend areas to be represented by a professional team.”
advertise
Emotions among Ospreys supporters have been running high for weeks, with placards and banners at Saturday’s protest criticizing Y11 Sport, the WRU and a potential deal to take over Cardiff City, who are being rescued by the league after they go into administration in April 2025.
If the deal goes through, Ospreys and Cardiff will initially continue as independent teams but will both be owned by Y11.
However, the future looks bleak for the Ospreys, who are only guaranteed to play as a professional team until the end of the 2026-27 season.
The WRU’s determination to reduce the number of men’s divisions from four to three offers an ideal opportunity to realize its ambitions.
advertise
Welsh rugby bosses now say there is not enough money or the base to sustain four teams. Ospreys fans disagree.
“Our blood is black”
Ospreys supporters have been protesting against the Welsh Rugby Football Union [Huw Evans Picture Agency]
OSC secretary Keith Collins said Welsh rugby without the Ospreys was “unthinkable” and stressed they were the most successful team since regional rugby’s inception in 2003.
Supporters lined up to warn the Ospreys would leave Welsh rugby if they were eliminated as a professional team, with some loyal fans so emotional that they were almost in tears.
Former players Goff and Sean Williams took to the microphone and addressed the crowd, promising they wouldn’t give up.
advertise
Williams reminded fans that the Ospreys’ slogan is “Our Blood Is Black,” a slogan he gave in 2012, the year the Ospreys won the last of their four league titles.
Y11 were criticized, with some shouting at them to “get out of our club” and asking where their South Asian boss James Davies-Yandall was.
Ospreys fans are trying to come to terms with what some believe is that their owners are trying to buy their Welsh rivals to effectively shut down the team they already manage.
WRU president Richard Collier-Keewood, chief executive Abbie Tierney and director of rugby Dave Reading were targeted, while board member Jamie Roberts, who was commentating on the match, was also hit hard.
advertise
Former Wales center Roberts was on the WRU board who agreed to reduce the number of teams from four to three and later approved Y11 as Cardiff’s preferred bidder.
Roberts stood up to former Dragons and Wales lock Andrew Coombs on live television, who said “handing the keys to Cardiff to Y11 was the worst decision ever”.
Roberts responded by saying “this is a very difficult situation for the coach, the players and more importantly the fans” and praised Ospreys head coach Mark Jones for his pre-match interview, saying “reality has hit home, how shocking it can be”.
During the game, played in front of 5,281 fans, the crowd repeated their protest by turning on their camera phone lights in the 11th minute.
advertise
Former players unite to support Ospreys
Ian Gough is a former Ospreys and Wales player [Huw Evans Picture Agency]
Former players including Alun Wyn Jones, Williams, James Hooker, Gavin Hansen and Ryan Jones joined old coaches and staff in signing a letter last week insisting the Ospreys must continue as a professional entity and that the four regions must be protected.
OSC chair Sarah Collins-Davies said this echoed the sentiments of fans.
“That’s the attitude of all the supporters and what really motivated everyone this week was the support from the former players,” she said.
“We can’t thank them enough for everything they do, it’s priceless.”
advertise
Goff said former players came together to try to help.
“The Ospreys have produced some great players and it holds a special place in my heart,” Goff said.
“We always fight hard in every game we play, whether we win, lose or draw.
“That’s what we need to do now. We need to fight for every inch to keep this area going.”
Petition calls on WRU to keep sides at four-a-side
Ospreys to play at Bridgend in 2025-26 [Getty Images]
The official supporters groups of the Ospreys, Scarlets and Dragons have also organized a petition calling on the WRU to halt its plans to break away from the side.
Gough said: “There has been a resurgence of fans from all over Wales this week, joined by other areas, who realize how badly the Ospreys are being treated.”
advertise
“The transparency is not there. Other fans are aware that this could happen to them just as easily and quickly as it happened to the Ospreys.”
“It’s awareness of what’s going on. We’ve been kept in the dark.
“Cardiff City supporters are upset and are not happy with the way the matter has been handled and the impact it has had.
“It gives a sense that none of us are safe.”
Gough also emphasized the human element.
“It was done in such a brutal way and you have to think about people’s families, their livelihoods and their mental state,” Gough said.
advertise
“It affects everything and inspires opposition to the WRU. It’s the mentality of rural Wales that brings us together in a common cause.”
Not all Wales fans support the petition, which is not backed by Crys 16, the Reds’ self-styled official supporters’ trust which has a seat on the organisation’s board.
Another fans group calling itself the Scarlets official supporters group is urging people to sign the petition.
This highlights the divisions among Scarlets fans, as if the Ospreys somehow survive but the WRU still wants to ax a team, there could be a direct shootout between the Ospreys and Scarlets for the Western License during a possible tender process.
advertise
So, as Welsh rugby often encourages and even requires, self-preservation is key.
It remains to be seen whether the Ospreys can remain a professional team beyond 2027, while the WRU’s first choice is not.
At least the governing body now knows Ospreys fans won’t go quietly. Whether that’s enough to save their team remains to be seen.
