Why are Wales' captains leaving for England?

Rugby

It was the news Welsh rugby had feared.

And, sadly, expected.

The confirmation of Lions flanker Jac Morgan and fellow Wales captain Dewi Lake leaving the Ospreys for Gloucester is another blow for the game in Wales that has taken a battering of late.

Even amid Welsh rugby's renown tribalism, this news will not have been celebrated by regional rivals.

Some see the departures as symptomatic of the apparent ill-health of the game in Wales.

Indeed, Ospreys head coach Mark Jones cited the current uncertainty around the future as a factor in the pair's departure.

Former Ospreys head coach Sean Holley has called the news "devastating" and "another sad day" for Welsh rugby.

But this is not the first time Welsh rugby has seen its best talent leave - so what makes this different?

On the one hand, it's a tale well told.

A player approaches the end of a contract, and turns it down to accept one elsewhere.

Money has always been on offer for those willing to travel. France was a popular destination for many of the Warren Gatland-era stars. Premiership Rugby called to George North, Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and Dan Biggar.

Cast your mind back further and it was Rugby League that was the temptation.

"Yes, there's a history of players going elsewhere to get new experiences but there's different reasons this time," former Dragons wing and players' union chair Ashton Hewitt told the Scrum V podcast.

Namely the uncertainty created with professional clubs in Wales set to be reduced to three by 2027.

"We don't know what the future of professional rugby will look like," added former Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap. "If it was another career, you wouldn't sit around and hope."

Because of the implications.

With the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) stating its new set up will have one club in Cardiff, one in the east of Wales and one in the west, a scrap for survival between the Scarlets in Llanelli and the Swansea-based Ospreys is expected.

Add into the mix that WRU chair Richard Collier Keywood would not comment on questions over the Ospreys owners – Y11 Sport & Media – showing interest in taking over the WRU-owned Cardiff, the future of the Ospreys has been particularly in focus.

Holley questions whether Morgan and Lake based decisions on information the wider public wasn't privy to.

That is not known, but the Ospreys were known to have made competitive offers for them to stay and both players were seen as two who would be keen to remain close to home.

"I'm worried," added Hewitt. "Is this like the nail in the coffin of the Ospreys in terms of which region is to go? But this will affect every region with people thinking about leaving.

"I think there will be more players going than we've seen at any one time than in the past.

"Until there's a level of clarity and certainty in Wales you can't blame them."

Supporters do not appear to be blaming the players, with uncertainty seeping into the stands.

"The concerning bit is do our supporters now go and support Gloucester?" said Lillicrap. "And where do our young aspiring players want to play? That's a worry for the future."