Former Welsh rugby captain Paul Thorburn said that regardless of how many professional rugby teams remain in Wales, they should come under the control of the Welsh Rugby Union.

Speaking to Cardiff Business Club, Mr Thorburn, who played 37 times for Wales and was tournament director of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, said that World Rugby also has to scrap the rule that allows foreign players with no family connections to a country to play on residency grounds, labelling it a “farce.”

He also said that the Welsh 25-cap rule, which means that capped players who leave Wales to play elsewhere become ineligible if they haven’t reached that number, is “ludicrous.”

The WRU’s consultation on the future of the professional game ended last week. The governing body’s favoured option is to reduce the cur

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