Roger Lewis has hailed the new agreement between the regions and WRU © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

News: Gallacher hails new WRU agreement

Features: WRU deal could benefit world game

News: Welsh Rugby Union reveals £1m profit

News: Gatland reaffirms Wales commitment

News: Gatland appeals to regions

News: WRU upbeat on Cardiff inclusion

News: Court dates await WRU and regions

News: Gatland under pressure from regions

News: Regions hit WRU with court action

Tournaments/Tours: Magners League

Teams: Cardiff Blues | Dragons | Ospreys | Scarlets | Wales

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and the four professional regions have announced a long-awaited peace deal that will bring to an end months of infighting between the WRU and Regional Rugby Wales over player release and funding.

The historic five-year participation agreement ensures player release for up to 13 Wales Tests a year, safeguarding Wales' autumn showdown with the All Blacks on November 7, and two further non-international tour games as well as seeing funding for the regions increased from £3.6 million a year to £6million.

Players will be released by the Cardiff Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets 13 days before the start of the autumn internationals and Six Nations. It will be monitored by a management board consisting of representatives from the four regions and the WRU.

In addition the two parties agreed that the regions' matchday squads would contain on average a minimum of 17 players qualified to play international rugby for Wales.

WRU chief executive Roger Lewis and his RRW counterpart Stuart Gallacher have brokered the deal after extensive discussions, ending the threat of high-court action against the WRU over the All Blacks' Test -arranged outside the official IRB Test window.

RRW had taken the union to court over player release for the fixture, with proceedings set to begin this week, in a re-run of troubles from last season's autumn Test with South Africa.

The Wales Sevens team, who shocked the game by winning the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, will also be officially contracted.

"This agreement is a historic landmark for Welsh rugby and will help shape the future of our national game," said Lewis. "At its heart it gives the regions the financial security to carry out a mandate to recruit and develop Welsh international players.

"We have achieved an agreement which is rooted in the best interests of the whole of Welsh rugby, because a winning Wales will deliver the support and commercial success we need to sustain rugby at all levels across our nation.

"It is a wide-ranging agreement which required a lot of hard work to complete, and I want to publicly thank everyone who has helped devise and broker it.

"It was never going to be easy to achieve, but we have all remained totally focused through the passion we all share for Wales and Welsh rugby. Now, a lot of hard work lies ahead of us all in turning this agreement into a body of work which truly shapes the future of our game."