Premiership considering merger with URC to form British and Irish league

A proposal for a merger between the Premiership and the United Rugby Championship – which features teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa – is being explored, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

The Premiership board is currently undertaking a strategic review to explore ways of increasing the value of future broadcasting deals ahead of going to market early next year for a new broadcasting deal for the start of the 2026 season, having signed a two-year deal with TNT earlier this year.

It is understood that the preference of the Premiership clubs, after a board meeting in London on Thursday morning, is to further explore the possibility of the creation of a British and Irish league, without the South African and Italian clubs part of the merger.

A number of options were presented for consideration.

A proposal for an Anglo-Welsh league was also considered as part of a strategic review to seek ways of increasing the value, as was the impact of reducing the Premiership to eight clubs, or increasing it from 10 clubs to 12, 14 or 16 teams.

The British and Irish league option is said to have attracted the most interest however, given that it has the potential to drive the greatest commercial value – but it would also be the most complicated to achieve.

‘A very high bar has been set’

Telegraph Sport revealed the four home unions took part in discussions over the possibility of establishing a British and Irish league during the World Cup in France last year.

While the Rugby Football Union confirmed they would look at the proposals, there is understood to be strong support for combined competition within the Celtic unions.

Exploratory work to determine whether the concept was viable both from a commercial and sporting perspective was carried out and significantly CVC, the private equity firm that holds significant stakes in both Premiership Rugby and the URC, were said to be open to the idea.

The discussions centred around examining competition structures and how that would potentially impact the value of the next broadcasting deal, at a time when the broadcast market has fractured and their values flatlined.

A document outlining options was issued to Premiership clubs last weekend ahead of the board meeting and it explored various options for league structures from 2026 when the international game is due to be restructured with the launch of the Nations Championship.

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“It is what drives broadcasting rights and how does that impact on different decisions we can make over the short and medium,” said one source. “That includes looking at league structures.”

However, it is understood that Premiership Rugby would only consider making any changes to their league structure if there was a guarantee of a significant uplift in revenues.

“We have a very strong product and are in control of it so a very high bar has been set if we are to consider any changes,” said one source.

‘Nothing is ever off the table’

The impact of Welsh regions joining the league to potentially increase the league from 10 to 12 clubs was also discussed. The move, which would involve the Welsh regions leaving the URC, also has the support of some Premiership clubs because of the uplift it could have on gate revenues as well as because it would renew the great Anglo-Welsh club rivalries that were so popular in the amateur era.

The clubs are already tapping into the Welsh market, with Bath and Bristol due to play their Gallagher Premiership fixture at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff next May and Cardiff were also buoyed by attracting a sell-out crowd for their Investec Champions Cup defeats by Harlequins and Bath last season.

An Anglo-Welsh league was first proposed in 1999, when the Welsh Rugby Union controversially turned down the offer of five places in the top two divisions of English rugby.
 
Another source said that all options were on the table. “Good organisation and governance mandates that leagues, teams and all stakeholders within rugby should always be exploring ways to make the competitions in which they compete better,” said the source.

“So clearly over the forthcoming period, here will always be conversations about existing and potential competitions, about where for the benefit of fans, players and owners, we can make enhancements. So, nothing would ever be off the table.

“We are going into the new season off an incredibly exciting Premiership last year, including semi-finals and final that were one-score games. The standard has never been higher, so we feel we are in a good place.

“But we’re conscious that we also want externally to feel like there’s a pathway where that then results in improved economics, not just of our clubs and our games but likewise is a hope and expectation for other teams playing in other competitions. So we are all committed to exploring options.”

Impact on European Champions Cup

One of the previous sticking points to the concept of uniting the English Premiership and the URC has been the detrimental impact it would have on the European Champions Cup.

But one solution has been advanced for an ‘FA Cup-style’ knock-out competition involving clubs from the French Top 14 to ensure it retains its point of difference within a revised European domestic structure.

There is said to be support within the Welsh regions, who are struggling financially, for an Anglo-Welsh league, given the travel costs of participating in the United Rugby Championship, which includes sides from South Africa. A resumption of cross-border clashes would also be expected to increase attendances.

The Premiership clubs who are in support of a merger would also have to gain support among all 10 clubs. It is understood there are concerns as to whether a merger would drive up the value and also require the Premiership clubs to increase their squad sizes to cope with the extra fixtures.