Players have given Welsh rugby bosses until 6 February to provide clarity on what the professional landscape will look like next season or risk serious fallout.

The Welsh Rugby Players’ Association (WRPA) issued the ultimatum following a meeting with the Professional Rugby Board, held against the backdrop of growing uncertainty around the future of the Welsh regions in the Vodacom URC.

The talks came just days after it emerged that Ospreys owners Y11 Sport & Media are the WRU’s preferred bidder to buy Cardiff, who were placed into administration in April last year.

That development follows the WRU’s October announcement that it plans to cut one of the four professional teams, reducing the number to three from next season.

Players say the lack of clarity has now reached breaking point.

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The WRPA is demanding definitive answers on the structure of the professional game, the Cardiff takeover, licensing arrangements and crucially, how many Welsh teams will compete in the URC next season.

The 6 February deadline is no accident. It comes just one day before Wales open their Six Nations campaign against England at Twickenham.

In a strongly worded statement, the WRPA warned that continued uncertainty is placing “unacceptable strain on players, staff and their families”, with prolonged ambiguity around contracts and recruitment directly impacting player welfare.

“Meaningful clarity on arrangements for next season must be provided no later than 6 February,” the statement read.

“Failure to deliver certainty by this point would inevitably require players to consider their position and next steps.”

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While strike action has not been mentioned, the warning will raise eyebrows particularly given the events of February 2023, when Wales’ players threatened not to fulfil their Six Nations clash with England over contractual disputes.

That match eventually went ahead, but the latest intervention underlines just how fragile the domestic game in Wales remains, with players again demanding stability and answers.

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