Let's rehome some Ospreys
Yet again, Ospreys are under serious threat in the UK. Having successfully supported the feathered variety, surely we can prevent the rugby-playing versions from doom.
I remember back in the 1990s, there were quite a few news stories about reintroducing the osprey to England and (somewhat accidentally) Wales. This majestic bird had been effectively extinct in the UK for the first half of the 20th century, but the last 30 years has seen a steady reintroduction and become a genuine good ecological story.
Things do not look so great for the Ospreys, the Swansea-based rugby team whose owners are in the process of buying up some prime Cardiff real estate. This move likely means the end of the Ospreys as a professional rugby team, something all Welsh fans are upset about.1
The club has been guaranteed professional rugby only up to the end of next season, but I would try to make the change earlier. Nobody will want a lame-duck club hanging around for a season:
Ospreys’ fans will either mourn quickly and then move on to another team, sport or other parts of the wonders of life, or mourn slowly for an extra year. I recommend the first.
Players will appreciate having some financial certainty for an extra year, but they will spend most of that time looking for other opportunities. They certainly will not look forward to being competitive next season as the club disintegrates.
Other clubs and the URC do not want this hanging around their competition. At a time when they want to show vibrancy, optimism and growth, they don’t want a dead body sitting around in the corner.
TV and media partners certainly don’t want to cover the sad impact of these changes on a weekly basis. That is not entertainment.
If it is going to happen, then let’s get on with ripping off the plaster and explore the possibilities.2 If changes are to be made quickly, then the most important issue to tackle is what happens to the current players and staff3 — here’s my thoughts.
The New Club
The URC has 16 clubs and for quite a few reasons they don’t want 15. Therefore, they will need to introduce a new club and I propose one based in the nexus between Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and northern France. Southwest Germany is one of the main rugby playing parts of the country, there is significant interest in the Netherlands already (South Africa’s Cheetahs have played there to full houses), Belgium nearly made it to the next World Cup, and northern France has very few professional clubs. There is definitely an opportunity for someone to take.
For the playing squad, I would not simply ship the Ospreys squad across the Channel. The squad still needs to be somewhat representative of the area with a mix of local players (could New Zealand’s Fabian Holland be tempted by a lucrative return home after the 2027 World Cup?), South Africans (many of whom effectively already speak the language) and players from other nations who help to lift the quality. All unions would make exceptions for these players to ensure they can still play internationally even if they are not playing in-country.4
By creating such a club, the league has created capacity for absorbing former Ospreys players while maintaining the familiar competition structure that fans and media have learned to engage with.
The Morgans
At the start of the season, I described the Ospreys as Jac and the Morgans because nearly everyone in the league with Morgan in their names plays in Swansea. Sadly, their lead singer has already announced his departure to West England along with his highly influential songwriter. I’m sure the rest of the band are devastated.
Like Take That circa 1995, Spice Girls in 1998 and Westlife in 2004 (I’m nothing if not down with the kids), this band will want to stick together and prove the hits can keep coming. For that reason I am going to bring them to the New Club where they will discover great food, world-changing history and a much cheaper Center Parcs experience.
Players re-homed (if they want to keep playing - 4)
Morgan Morris
Morgan Morse
Reuben Morgan-Williams
Luke Morgan
Stay in Wales
Quite a few people have said that players should move abroad because they have had enough of the WRU and a lack of confidence in their plans. I get that. But many players will also appreciate an option that requires less personal disruption and doesn’t affect their international chances.
If players do move to other Welsh clubs, some others will need to be moved out. Ideally, they would not be Welsh qualified, thereby maintaining a reasonable player pool for the national team.
Become a Dragon
The Dragons have become my favourite Welsh team simply because of their return to playing competence. I hoped that bringing in some seasoned pros would lead go better play, and I am delighted to see their games are competitive most weeks. Doing this required hard, thoughtful work and there was no guarantee it would change anything — see the Prem’s Newcastle as evidence.
What the Dragons now need is some star power that can dominate a game or make plays that turn the tide in their favour. Harri Deaves will continue his upward trajectory through impact defence, while softening the blow of losing Aaron Wainwright to Leicester. Kieran Hardy can add experience and depth at scrum-half while Dan Edwards will become the leader at 10, ably backed up by Tinus de Beer. Keelan Giles could make a very interesting wing pairing with Rio Dyer.
I would also a few more to add depth and prospects to areas where the Dragons are currently quite weak: Ross Moriarty to the backrow, Tom Florence and Owen Watkins at centre, and Garyn Phillips at prop.
Players re-homed (8)
Harri Deaves
Kieran Hardy
Dan Edwards
Keelan Giles
Ross Moriarty
Tom Florence
Owen Watkins
Garyn Phillips
Move to the Capital
Cardiff’s new owners, aka the Ospreys’ current/old owners, will obviously want to retain the Ospreys’ best players to create a kind of Welsh super club that would be simultaneously more competitive in the league and Europe, and deeply loathed by every other Welsh rugby fan. I don’t think they could get away with that politically, and so will focus on filling out some gaps in the roster.
Cardiff has some good and promising backs, but surprisingly few of them. Any team signing a 37-year-old Leigh Halfpenny is not boasting about their depth in the back three. To help I would relocate Ryan Conbeer, Kieran Williams and Iestyn Hopkins to CF10.
Cardiff’s pack is already quite well-loaded at prop and in the back row, but Lewis Lloyd could add more competition and potential at hooker, while Huw Sutton would add some much-needed depth at lock.
Players re-homed (5)
Ryan Conbeer
Kieran Williams
Iestyn Hopkins
Lewis Lloyd
Huw Sutton
A Heated Rivalry
The last Welsh club are the Scarlets, the Ospreys biggest rivals. For that reason I am loathed to move many between the clubs as much as I am sure the Scarlets would like quite a few. Cameron Jones (prop), Sam Parry (hooker), James Ratti (lock/backrow) and Max Nagy (full back) could move there if they want.
To help balance the benefits across the clubs, the Scarlets should be given the opportunity to effectively take over the Ospreys Academy. As much as the Ospreys may continue as a semi-pro team with junior teams, the Scarlets are literally well-placed to support the professional aspirations of young players. These players do not earn much and are probably still living with their parents. Moving away is less realistic for them, and the Scarlets will likely reap the benefits.
Players re-homed (4+)
Cameron Jones
Sam Parry
James Ratti
Max Nagy
The Academy
Moving Abroad
I am still left with a few players who need new clubs, mostly older and/or non-Welsh qualified. None of the older players are obvious candidates for retirement and it may be their best chance to try playing abroad. They are more likely to have family commitments, so moving is not ideal, but it is worth exploring at this stage. The non-Welsh players have already moved once and will likely be open to moving again.
I am not going to make suggestions for all of them, but there are a few options that could be a particularly good fit for some players.
Phil Cokanasiga to Benetton. Benetton lost Brex last summer and are expected to lose Menoncello this summer; in the space of a year they will have lost a world-class midfield and be left with good but not great replacements. Cokanasiga has had a good season this year and would bring some of the power and pace Benetton are losing.
Jack Walsh to Zebre. Do you know what the difference was between Walsh and Zebre’s Prisciantelli last season? Very little! They can both play fullback and 10, though typically played 15. They bring a running threat and good with the boot and ended up with very similar stats. Walsh wouldn’t be the first Kiwi to turn up in Parma, and it could help their attack that continues to struggle.
Daniel Kasende to Edinburgh. Edinburgh have two excellent wings, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merve. Beyond that they have…not much. Kasende has been a reliable, if not try-scoring, back three player, and would be a reliable squad player for a team that can struggle when Option A is not available.
So that’s how I would re-home the Ospreys squad. We will probably have to wait until 2027 to find out what really happens because things are “difficult” to change quickly, but I am curious to see where these players end up. They are hard-working professionals who are dedicated to a sport that does not highly reward them financially, and my one hope is their futures are clarified sooner than later.
I assume everyone who works for the Welsh Rugby Union currently works remotely out of country.
I’m sorry if this comes across as callous and “too soon”, but time is against us if we want to see positive changes next season.
See, I actually do care about people.
For example, Leinster’s Caspar Gabriel (Austrian-born) and Connacht’s Albert Lindner (German-born) could add a lot to such a club, but will not want to damage their international possibilities with Ireland.