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Alun Wyn Jones is set to return to the Ospreys as a director. The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain, who made 268 appearances for the region, is expected to be announced as a board member next week. It would be his second boardroom role in a month. In July, Jones took a seat on the new Swansea Rugby Community Board, created to decide how clubs, schools and communities share in the redeveloped St Helen’s, from year-round access to the new 3G pitch to a player pathway running all the way up to the Ospreys. The 40-year-old broke through with Swansea RFC in 2004 and made his Ospreys debut a year later, going on to win three league titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup with the region before finishing his playing career at Toulon in 2023. He returns at the most uncertain moment in the club’s history, and he has not been a bystander in it. Jones was among the senior voices warning about the direction of the Welsh game in the spring, when the WRU faced an extraordinary general meeting amid a chair’s departure, legal action from Swansea Council and interventions from Michael Sheen. The picture has hardened since. The union confirmed in July that Cardiff and the Dragons are guaranteed licences under its three-team model from 2028-29, leaving the Ospreys and the Scarlets competing for the last place in the west. No decision is due until spring 2027, with a March deadline set for the biggest call in the Welsh game. The Ospreys have argued throughout that a four-team model remains the way forward, and this month laid out their case to supporters under the heading “invest, build, compete, win”, pointing to four signings, a rebuilt stadium and membership sales beyond expectations. Swansea Council has restarted its High Court challenge over how the decision was reached, and the WRU board has since stood firm against calls for all 11 of its members to resign. Against that backdrop, the club is also moving home. A deal sealed with Swansea Council in March paved the way for the Ospreys to move into a redeveloped St Helen’s, and the ground has been transformed since, with the main stand stripped to bare steel and set to be rebuilt at the Mumbles end as a family stand. After a season at Bridgend’s Brewery Field, the Ospreys will play at St Helen’s in 2026-27, with the first home fixture against the Dragons on 24 October and a Cardiff derby soon after. On the field it has been a summer of upheaval. Wales captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan have left for Gloucester, among ten players on the club’s leavers list. In their place, head coach Mark Jones has recruited from Wales and from Australia. Wales back Tom Rogers has arrived from the Scarlets, while Wallaby captain Liam Wright joined from the Queensland Reds, Australia centre Lalakai Foketi followed days later and fly-half Lawson Creighton signed from the New South Wales Waratahs. A move for former Wallabies wing Marika Koroibete is also lined up. There has been change in the executive too, with chief executive Lance Bradley departing earlier this summer, months before the move he helped steer the club towards. For a club that has spent the past year defending its existence, the return of the player most associated with it carries a weight beyond the boardroom. Related stories from Swansea Bay News ST HELEN’S: Alun Wyn Jones takes seat on new board steering the community side of the £7.6m rebuild The Swansea Rugby Community Board met for the first time in July. OSPREYS: “Invest, build, compete, win”, the club lays out its case for the last west Wales licence Four signings, a rebuilt St Helen’s and a blunt admission about the fight ahead. WRU: Cardiff and Dragons safe as Ospreys and Scarlets left fighting for one west Wales licence The union confirmed its three-team future starts in 2028-29. ST HELEN’S: Main stand stripped to its skeleton — and it’s moving to the Mumbles end Drone footage shows the scale of the transformation at the Brynmill ground. Discover more from Swansea Bay News Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.