Swansea Council has launched formal legal action against the Welsh Rugby Union in a bid to halt the proposed sale of Cardiff Rugby to Y11 Sport & Media.
The Council argues that the WRU’s agreement with Y11, which already owns the Ospreys, breaches UK competition law and undermines the integrity of the WRU’s own restructuring process for the men’s professional game.
In October 2025, the WRU announced it will cut one of Wales’s four professional teams by 2027.
Then, in December 2025, they said a six-month tender process could open if agreement could not be reached by the end of January 2026.
Despite this, the WRU moved within weeks to strike a direct deal to sell Cardiff Rugby to Y11, bypassing the open competition it had publicly committed to.
For context, the WRU had rescued Cardiff Rugby from administration in April 2025 at a at a cost believed to be in the region of £9 million.
Cllr Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said the Council had been left with no choice but to act.
“We have serious legal concerns about the proposed sale of Cardiff Rugby to Y11 and the WRU’s decision to cut the number of regional teams from four to three,” he said.
“We believe the WRU’s actions breach competition law, and we intend to challenge their process in court.”
The legal proceedings follow Swansea Council’s recent request for the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the proposed deal.
Cllr Stewart added: “We are taking steps to challenge a process that threatens the future of regional rugby in Swansea. If this deal proceeds then the Ospreys will cease to exist as a professional regional team at the end of the 2026/27 season, based on what we’ve been told.
“We believe the WRU has acted unlawfully, and we will continue fighting on behalf of the Ospreys and rugby supporters across Wales.”
Celine Jones, of Capital Law who acts for Swansea Council, said: “The potential sale of Cardiff Rugby by the WRU to Y11 – the owner of the Ospreys – and the decision to reduce the licences from four to three (with Cardiff Rugby being guaranteed one of the three) raises valid concerns which the court and the CMA are being asked to investigate.”
The Welsh Rugby Union has given written confirmation that it will not complete the deal with Y11 to buy Cardiff Rugby prior to March 16. That’s when Swansea Council’s injunction application to pause the deal will be heard at the High Court.
