Reports have suggested that Premiership Rugby have had initial discussions with the Welsh Rugby Union about two Welsh regions joining England’s elite club competition
The Rugby Paper have revealed that the pair of clubs would join the league from the start of the 2023/24 season.
They'd be used to 'fill potential vacancies that will be left if financially distressed Worcester Warriors and Wasps go to the wall in the coming weeks.'
Warriors were suspended from playing last Monday and will be put into administration after failing to meet a Rugby Football Union funding ultimatum.
The men's team are now banned from the Premiership and the women's side from the Premier 15s.
Administration means the men's side could be sanctioned with either a points deduction or relegation.
The week prior, Wasps filed notice in the High Court that they intend to appoint administrators to "protect the club's interests".
All 13 Premiership Club Owners Ranked By Their Net Worth
Gallagher Premiership owners are growing richer than ever before, but how much are they worth?
There's currently trouble at Worcester Warriors, which isn't awfully surprising when you compare their owners wealth to their Premiership rivals
Four clubs have no clear owner:
Exeter Chiefs: N/A
Club states that it remains owned by 700 members, the shares held by John Lockyer, Bob Staddon, Paul Derbyshire and Ian Pugsley acting as trustees.
Leicester Tigers owner: N/A
Most recent annual return notes a large number of individual shareholders; club states that no person owns 50% or more of the club shares.
Saracens: N/A
No overall controlling party following the purchase of the club from Nigel Wray.
Northampton Saints owner: N/A
No overall controlling party.
Now, take a look through the gallery to reveal the estimated net worth of the Gallagher Premiership's owners and top shareholders.
9. Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham: net worth - £3 million
8. Newcastle Falcons owner: Semore Kurdi net worth - £20 million
7. Harlequins owner: Duncan Saville net worth - £20 million
Ultimately owned by Union Mutual Pension Fund Ltd, registered in the tax haven of Bermuda. Reported to be owned by financiers Charles Jillings and Duncan Saville
6. Gloucester owner: Martin St Quinton net worth - £20.2 million
Ultimately owned by Martin St Quinton, who made his fortune from selling his company Azzurri Communications.
5. Sale Sharks owner: Simon Orange net worth - £25m
Owned by Simon Orange via a holding company, CorpAcq Ltd. The combined cash at bank value for all businesses where SIMON holds a current appointment equals £20.6m, a combined total current assets value of £99m with a total current liabilities of £119.9m and a total current net worth of £-25m.
4. London Irish owner: Mick Crossan net worth - £45.5 million
3. Wasps owner: Derek Richardson net worth - £60 million
Owned by Derek Richardson via Moonstone Holdings, a company registered in Malta.
2. Bath owner: Bruce Craig net worth - £249 million
The accounts state that the ultimate controlling owner is the sole shareholder, Bruce Craig.
1. Bristol Bears owner: Stephen Lansdown net worth - £1.35 billion
Bristol City majority shareholder Steve Lansdown has lost £370m over the last 12 months, likely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Sunday Times.
Lansdown’s wealth is valued at £1.35bn, down from £1.72bn last year, and the Bristolian billionaire has fallen 22 places in the newspaper’s annual Rich List.
The 67-year-old Guernsey-based businessman is now ranked outside Britain’s 100 wealthiest people, dropping from No83 in 2019 to No105 in 2020.
