The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has pushed back against allegations that the women's rugby programme is a financial burden on the men's game. Nadine Griffiths, WRU women's rugby director, described social media claims linking investment in the women's game to the planned axing of a men's region as "embarrassing."
Griffiths stated that the women's game actually generated £1.7m for the governing body last year. She added that the women's game offers more potential for commercial growth compared to the men's side, which she believes is reaching its commercial ceiling.
The WRU has operated a professional women's programme since the beginning of 2022, now featuring over 40 contracted players. However, plans to cut one of the four men's professional regions, likely Scarlets or Ospreys, have sparked controversy.
Despite the senior women's team being without a win in their last nine Test matches and ranked 13th globally, Griffiths highlighted encouraging results from the under-18s and under-21s. Wales will open their WXV campaign against South Africa on Friday at Cardiff Arms Park, followed by a match against USA eight days later, before travelling to Japan in October.