Rugby crisis in Wales: Ospreys fans protest against WRU and Y11

There was also a petition organized by the official Ospreys, Scarlets and Dragons supporter groups calling on the WRU to halt its plans to cut the side.

“This week sees fans return from all over Wales, and other regions have joined in as they realize how badly the Ospreys have been treated,” Gove said.

“The transparency was not there. Other fans realized that it could happen to them just as easily and quickly as it happened to the Ospreys.

“It was a realization of what was happening. We were kept in the dark.

“There is unrest among Cardiff supporters, and they are unhappy with how this has been handled and the ramifications.

“It led to the feeling that none of us were safe.”

Gove also highlighted the human element.

“It was done in a brutal way,” Gove said. “You have to think about people’s families, their livelihoods and their mental state.”

“It affects everything and motivates people against the WRU. It’s the Welsh village mentality that has brought us together for a common cause.”

Not all Welsh fans backed the petition, which was not backed by Crys 16, the Scarlets’ official supporters’ body which has a seat on the organisation’s board.

Another fan body, calling itself the Official Scarlets Supporters Group, urged people to sign the petition.

This highlights the division among Scarlets fans because if the Ospreys somehow survive but the WRU still wants to cut a team, it could potentially be a straight shootout between the Ospreys and Scarlets for the Wests license in a potential tender process.

So, as Welsh rugby often encourages, even demands, self-preservation is key.

Whether the Ospreys are maintained as a professional team beyond 2027, with the WRU no longer the preferred option, remains to be seen.

At least the governing body now knows that Ospreys fans will not rest. Whether that’s enough to save their team, we’ll have to wait and see.