THE announcement by Swansea that eight players have been given the choice of tearing up their contracts or leaving the club has underlined the parlous financial state gripping the game in Wales.

Llanelli also announced last month that eight players had to go in a bid to save £200,000 from its wage bill and ensure financial viability for Wales's most famous club side. And with the Welsh Rugby Union having hired accountants Price Waterhouse to conduct a review of all first division club finances those findings are expected to make depressing reading. No one at the WRU was available to comment.

There is now a widely held view in the Principality that only three, at best four, sides can realistically continue as fully professional outfits with all their squad on contracts. Cardiff and Pontypridd are identified as two. The rest must adopt semi professional status with the bulk of players, outside internationals and big name recruits, spending the week doing the day job and picking up a match fee on a Saturday.

At Swansea, two of the players told there is no money to fund their contracts have opted to stay. Hooker Euros Evans and wing Warren Leach will receive appearance money when they get a game. Two others will definitely go. Lock Mark Evans, at Swansea for three years, and Welsh A international Adam Palfrey, an arrival from Newport this season, must now attempt to find new clubs. Much travelled back row forward Gerald Williams is undecided about his future and negotiations continue with two other, as yet unnamed, players. The savings Swansea need to find have not been officially revealed but are believed to be in the region of £150,000. None of the players who have been declared surplus were regular first team members and their contracts would not have exceeded £10,000.

Byron Mugford, club secretary, said: "Due to financial consequences we have had to make reductions. We never received the level of funding that was initially indicated from television, European competition and sponsorship."