sport news Welsh rugby in turmoil as Grand Slam bid risks being derailed by regional chaos

Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam bid will be dragged through the mud by regional rugby chaos, with talks on a controversial club merger delayed on Tuesday by a fiery resignation.

On a chaotic day over the Severn Bridge the agenda shifted from the potential ratification of Welsh rugby's biggest shake-up since 2003, to yet more in-fighting.

The Welsh national team are unbeaten in 12 Tests and are desperately trying to prepare for crucial Championship matches in Edinburgh against Scotland then Ireland in Cardiff over the next two weekends.

Ken Owens has 'deep concerns' about the proposed changes to the Welsh regions

Ken Owens has 'deep concerns' about the proposed changes to the Welsh regions

But on Tuesday events in the club game exploded, and Sportsmail understands the toxic throng around the regions will drift until at least the end of the tournament with no sign of an imminent resolution.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY: 

- Ospreys chairman Mike James resigned citing ‘catastrophic mismanagement’ by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) over its ‘Project Reset’ plan to revamp the Welsh game.

- Ken Owens, the Wales and Scarlets hooker who is also the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association chairman, voiced his ‘deep concern’ at the swirling uncertainty.

- Warren Gatland, the Wales head coach, admitted his players were distracted ahead of Saturday’s Scotland match by talks of regional mergers.

- Wales named their team for Murrayfield early in order to change the ever unravelling agenda.

- And Ospreys players were summoned to crisis talks with their club directors in Swansea where the message to Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones and Co was that the region would ‘fight for their future’

The stormy scenes all circle around a new plan for Welsh professional rugby - 'Project Reset'. On Monday players were told that a merger between the two most successful regions since the club game in Wales was ripped up in 2003 was to occur.

Rivals Llanelli-based Scarlets and Swansea side Ospreys would combine and a new region in north Wales, based around Colwyn Bay team RGC 1404, would be born all in time for next season.

The Professional Game Board (PGB) - which comprises representatives from the WRU and the current four regions - were set to thrash out that deal on Tuesday afternoon.

But Ospreys benefactor and chairman Mike James stunned the meeting by resigning at its outset.

Sportsmail understands he went to the Cardiff gathering as planned, met for five minutes in private with WRU chairman Gareth Davies and CEO Martyn Phillips, told them the reasons for his resignation and left.

The under-fire region then issued a bombshell statement in which James said: 'Project Reset has become Project Inept.

'The way in which this has been handled is nothing short of chaotic, resulting in a fatal combination of uncertainty, conjecture and insecurity now hanging over regional rugby's future.

'To methodically, rationally and impartially

read more from dailymail.....

PREV Dearden's 'tackle of the century' stops Cobbo mogaznewsen
NEXT sport news Brentford continue to fume at Kai Havertz on Tik Tok after the Arsenal forward ... trends now