"It reeks of sorting out a balance sheet" - Alun Wyn Jones on dropping a Welsh region

Wales veteran Alun Wyn Jones has claimed the recent Welsh rugby proposal to drop from four to three regions "reeks of sorting out a balance sheet rather than improving the game".

Appearing on the Good, Bad, Rugby Podcast, Jones reflects on a stellar career and looks ahead to what’s still to come.

During the episode, Jones was asked whether rugby or football is Wales' number one sport.

"I do think the appetite's there [for rugby in Wales], Jones said.

"I don't think the to-ing and fro-ing about whether we're going to have three or four regions and all those sort of political and... this recent one now about talking to go to three regions, it reeks of sorting out a balance sheet rather than improving the game.

"I think if they got rid of one, those three teams are probably going to have the same amount of money, those three teams wouldn't have the extra funding from the fourth that's gone.

"Definitely, the appetite [for rugby] is there. I think the fans need more from a performance point of view but off the field as well."

Asked if he takes note of reports regarding the regions' futures, he said: "I think we have to. As players, essentially it's my job security which is probably as big if not bigger than sport.

"We had it in 2019, three days before we played Scotland in the penultimate game of the Grand Slam... As international players, you know you're probably going to be looked after but there was a lot of players, you're talking of the 180 players plus that are like 'what's happening here now?' If there was a merger there was going to be a lot of movement. But, again, they saw sense."