Admiral Premiership

Current season, competition or edition: 2025–26 Welsh Rugby Union Premiership
Sport	Rugby union
Founded	1990
No. of teams	13
Country	Wales
Most recent champion	Merthyr RFC
Most titles	Neath (7 Titles)
Broadcasters	BBC Wales,S4C
Level on pyramid	3
Relegation to	Welsh Championship
Domestic cup	WRU Challenge Cup
Official website	[1]

TheWelsh Rugby Union Premiership, known as theAdmiral Premiership^[1] for sponsorship reasons, is arugby union league inWales first implemented by theWelsh Rugby Union (WRU) for the 1990–91 season.There have been a number of title sponsors for the league since its inception but, in 2021 the sponsor changed toAdmiral Group.The Premiership is the 3rd tier of Welsh Rugby and the highest ranked division in the community game.

The teams are feeder clubs for the following regions:Blue =Cardiff Rugby,Orange =Dragons,Black =Ospreys,Red =Scarlets.

Clubs and locations

[edit]

Club Stadium Capacity Area Previous season Bargoed RFC Bargoed Park Bargoed 4th Premiership Beddau RFC Castellau Road Beddau 1stChampionship East (Promoted) Brecon RFC The Watton Brecon 5th Premiership Cardiff Met RFC Cyncoed Campus Cardiff 9th Premiership Cross Keys RFC Pandy Park Crosskeys 6th Premiership Llanelli Wanderers RFC Stradey Park Avenue Llanelli 1stChampionship West (Promoted) Llangennech RFC Llangennech Main Field Llangennech 7th Premiership Merthyr RFC The Wern Merthyr 1st Premiership (Champions) Narberth RFC Spring Gardens Narberth 11th Premiership Neath RFC The Gnoll Neath 3rd Premiership Newbridge RFC The Welfare Ground Newbridge 10th Premiership Pontypridd RFC Sardis Road Pontypridd 2nd Premiership Ystrad Rhondda RFC Gelligaled Road Rhondda 8th Premiership

Bargoed Beddau Brecon Cardiff Met Cross Keys Llanelli Llangennech Merthyr Narberth Neath Newbridge Pontypridd YR class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2025-26 Indigo Group Premiership teams with colour markers to represent the region they belong to: Blue =Cardiff Rugby Orange =Dragons Black =Ospreys Red =Scarlets

2024–25 season

[edit]

The 2024–25 Welsh Premier Division saw a much changed lineup after losing the vast majority of the teams from 2023–24 to the newly formedSuper Rygbi Cymru. Merthyr won the title with 108 points.

The teams are feeder clubs for the following regions:Blue =Cardiff Rugby,Orange =Dragons,Black =Ospreys,Red =Scarlets.

Table

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	POS	TEAM	PL	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	TB	LB	PTS
	1	Merthyr	24	21	0	3	1217	397	820	179	56	21	3	108
	2	Pontypridd	24	18	0	6	781	473	308	114	67	16	3	91
	3	Neath	24	17	1	6	696	614	82	104	88	15	3	88
	4	Bargoed	24	16	1	7	667	506	161	98	71	14	3	83
	5	Brecon	24	11	1	12	683	684	-1	94	94	13	4	63
	6	Cross Keys	24	12	0	12	601	739	-138	78	106	11	3	62
	7	Llangennech	24	11	0	13	627	613	14	90	87	13	4	61
	8	Ystrad Rhondda	24	10	2	12	579	771	-192	84	111	111	2	57
	9	Cardiff Metropolitan University	24	9	1	14	645	644	1	88	86	10	5	53
	10	Newbridge	24	8	1	15	514	656	-142	73	82	9	6	49
	11	Narberth	24	7	1	16	501	696	-195	70	102	8	6	44
	12	Bonymaen	24	7	0	17	520	742	-222	69	107	8	7	43
	13	Newcastle Emlyn	24	4	2	18	478	974	-496	65	149	6	3	29

Clubs and locations

[edit]

	Club	Stadium	Capacity	Area	Previous season
	Bargoed RFC	Bargoed Park		Bargoed
	Bonymaen RFC	Parc Mawr		Bonymaen
	Brecon RFC	The Watton		Brecon
	Cardiff Met RFC	Cyncoed Campus		Cardiff
	Cross Keys RFC	Pandy Park		Crosskeys
	Llangennech RFC	Llangennech Main Field		Llangennech
	Merthyr RFC	The Wern		Merthyr
	Narberth RFC	Spring Gardens		Narberth
	Neath RFC	The Gnoll		Neath
	Newbridge RFC	The Clubhouse		Newbridge
	Newcastle Emlyn RFC	Dol Wiber		Newcastle Emlyn
	Pontypridd RFC	Sardis Road		Pontypridd
	Ystrad Rhondda RFC	Gelligaled Road		Rhondda

Newport

Ebbw Vale

Pontypridd

Cardiff

Merthyr

Bridgend

Swansea

Aberavon

Carmarthen Quins

Neath

RGC 1404*

Pontypool

Llandovery

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the 2023–24 Indigo Group Premiership teams with colour markers to represent the region they belong to:

Blue =Cardiff Rugby
Orange =Dragons
Black =Ospreys
Red =Scarlets

• RGC acts as a de facto club representing North Wales

Ahead of the 1990–91 season, the Welsh Rugby Union announced that the top 38 clubs would play in the Heineken National League, split into four divisions with the top ten teams forming the Premier League. Each club would play each other home and away in adouble round-robin format.^[2] The ten teams that were part of the inaugural Premier Division were Abertillery, Cardiff, Bridgend, Glamorgan Wanderers. Llanelli, Neath, Newbridge, Pontypool, Pontypridd and Swansea.^[3]

For the 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons, it was reformatted as theWelsh-Scottish League with the addition ofEdinburgh andGlasgow alongside the Welsh teams; and run jointly by theScottish Rugby Union and theWelsh Rugby Union.

Originally at the top tier of rugby in Wales, the league lost this status in 2003 with the implementation of the WRU's "Regional Rugby" plan, by which the country would be represented in top-level competitions, i.e. the Celtic League (nowURC) andHeineken Cup, by five (now four) regionally based sides. The clubs in the Premier Division became largely developmental sides for the regional teams.

Over succeeding years the league structure was to be changed in order to strengthen the structure of the semi-pro sides feeding the regions. Under the WRU's plan, playing records and facilities will be the main criteria in determining which clubs would stay in the Premiership.

In the 2005–06 season the Welsh Premier Division consisted of 16 clubs. Division One Champions Maesteg and runners-upGlamorgan Wanderers were promoted from Division 1 to join 14 clubs who played Premiership rugby the previous season. The clubs relegated down to Division 1 wereCaerphilly,Llanharan andNewbridge, thus, reducing the division from 17 to 16 clubs.

For the 2006–07 season, the Welsh Premier Division was reduced once more to 14 teams. The 2006–07 league was won by Neath RFC, making it three wins in three years.

For the 2007–08 season, a new points system was adopted, following the same system used in theCeltic League, where teams earn four points for a win and two for a draw, and can earn bonus points for either scoring four tries or losing by less than seven points.^[4] The relegation rules also changed during the season, stating that if a team failed to meet ground and facility standards during the season, then that club would fall into the final place rather than the club that finished last through points.

British and Irish Cup Qualification

In 2009–10, the top six clubs from the 2008–09 season qualified for the newBritish and Irish Cup competition. A play-off system was added at the end of the season for the top eight sides to qualify for the following season's British and Irish Cup. Only six teams can qualify for this from the eight. These play-offs do not decide the League Championship, as the league leaders at the end of the regular 26 game season will be Champions.

At the start of the 2010–11 season, it was announced that the Welsh Premiership title would be settled by a play-off at a neutral ground. At the end of the season, play-offs will involve the second and third placed teams meeting at a neutral venue, with the winners facing the team who finished top after the regular season in the final. Two-other play-off issues are also set to feature at the end of the campaign. The top five teams in the league will win automatic entry into the following season's British and Irish Cup with the sixth and final place decided by a play-off. This will see the teams finishing in 7th and 8th position meeting for the right to play the sixth-placed club.

Promotion from Division 1 was revamped from the 2010–11 season with play-offs taking place for this too. The bottom-placed team in the Welsh Premiership was grouped with the respective division winners in Division 1 East, North and West - provided they meet the Premiership criteria.

For the 2012–13 season, it was announced that the Premier Division would be reduced to 10 teams.^[5] The teams for the league would be decided on three factors: the holding of an 'A Licence' based on stadium criteria; the signing of a 'Participation Agreement'; and league results over the previous six seasons. It was announced that four clubs,Pontypool,Tonmawr,Bridgend andCarmarthen had not achieved the required criteria to be included into the new league. However, pressure fromOspreys andScarlets backers led to the league being extended to 12 teams with Bridgend and Carmarthen included.^[6] Tonmawr, citing financial reasons, opted not to take part in the new league at all and re-entered themselves into Division Six.^[7] Pontypool launched a legal challenge to avoid being the only team relegated but lost the case.^[8][9]

2024-25 Welsh Premier Division will see a much changed lineup after losing the vast majority of the teams from last year's competition to the newly formedSuper Rygbi Cymru.

* = Welsh-Scottish League winners

* = Cardiff RFC were leading the 2019–20 table before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the championship was withheld.

• Current members of the Premiership inItalics

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• WRU National Leagues

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