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On Friday, the Welsh Rugby Union gathered the media in the President's Lounge at Principality Stadium with the aim of providing clarity on the future of the country's national game.
It did confirm it now wants to cut the number of Wales' men's clubs from four to three. But how that will happen and when, among a multitude of other issues, remains as clear as mud. There is a semblance of a plan. But the journey to getting to that end point looks laced with uncertainty. You know things aren't great when you leave a press conference with more questions than answers. And that is exactly what happened here.
'I don't accept it's a mess at all,' said WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood, when all the evidence around him seemed to be quite contrary to that statement.
Both Collier-Keywood and WRU director of rugby Dave Reddin insisted when questioned by Daily Mail Sport that their positions remain tenable despite there being carnage everywhere you look.
Collier-Keywood, in particular, will do well to survive in his position for much longer.
After initially proposing as part of its 'optimal solution' to fix Welsh rugby's ills that the number of teams should be halved to two, there has been a WRU change of tack based on the strength of consultation feedback against the move.
WRU director of rugby Dave Reddin (right) has spoken about their plans for the current regions
The WRU are considering cutting the number of Wales' professional clubs down to three
That is understandable.
Going to three sides isn't necessarily a bad ploy. It is certainly a better and more palatable proposal than two. Underneath the headline act, Welsh rugby's 'radical' plan for the future does contain a number of good elements – namely improved investment in the academies and pathway systems, more money for coaching and greater backing for women's rugby.
Collier-Keywood pointed to a total WRU investment of £28million across the next five years.
There were only two problems. First, that's not actually that big a sum - certainly compared to bigger nations. And second, the chair initially said £28,000 by mistake.
It summed it all up rather well. To be blunt, the WRU leadership through this period has been well intentioned, but not up to the highest levels of sporting governance.
Having studied geographical, sporting and population data, the WRU want to base their three equally funded teams as follows – one in the east, one in the capital Cardiff and one in the west. Collier-Keywood insisted that didn't necessarily mean the Swansea-based Ospreys and the Scarlets, in Llanelli, are now fighting it out for one spot.
Scarlets (in white) are based in Llanelli but their future is now in doubt
He said that was due to the fact any team could apply for one of the three remaining spots regardless of the location. But it is frankly a nonsense to suggest, for example, that the Scarlets could play out of Newport. To all intents and purposes, Cardiff and Dragons look to now have a degree of security, even though the capital side remains under WRU ownership.
Both teams quickly released statements to state their claims for survival on the back of the WRU news. So too did the Scarlets, who now along with the Ospreys have a real fight on their hands. The Ospreys owners Y11 Sports previously tried to buy Cardiff and that is one possibility again now. The Ospreys and Scarlets could merge. But given the historical and passionate nature of their rivalry, doing so looks unlikely. And this is the problem.
We don't know where Welsh rugby goes from here. Still plenty of questions. Not enough answers.
It was notable that in the WRU's briefing room, the governing body's board members were, unusually, all present. They pushed a positive narrative on the media. Journalists were asked to stand and state their name when asking questions.
It felt like a powerplay. Even the lesser-spotted chair of the professional rugby board, Malcolm Wall was present.
The agenda wasn't easily bought.
Collier-Keywood insisted Wales were committed to having their teams in the United Rugby Championship and again knocked down the notion of them, however many, joining PREM Rugby. That would be heaven for Wales' fans.
But it isn't going to happen. As a shareholder in the URC, the WRU are committed to entering four teams to it. Collier-Keywood didn't seem to have the answer as to how that correlated with the proposal to lose a side, although it is understood the potential for a team from either Georgia, the USA or elsewhere to join could help on that front.
Dragons, based in Newport, are set to have some sort of security alongside capital club Cardiff
The URC don't want Wales to go to three because as things stand, it would leave its current 16-team league with an odd number of sides. Given they failed spectacularly to get agreement on cutting to two, it is very difficult to see how the WRU can get stakeholder agreement on three. It looks almost impossible they will be able to do so in the next year, if at all.
'I recognise any change is difficult and we have current contractual agreements with URC and our clubs,' Collier-Keywood said. 'We intend to get there (three teams) as soon as we possibly can. But I can't give you a defined period.
'We want to involve the clubs. This may take some time and we will work hard to get this done. If it proves impossible to reach an agreement, we will go through a fair and transparent tendering process.'
The players at all four existing teams were told of the situation on Friday morning.
Spare a thought for the Scarlets, currently in South Africa. Dwayne Peel's team were told their employer could soon be out of the business on the eve of facing a Sharks side packed full of Springbok stars. A genuine fear of losing your job isn't exactly what you need before tackling Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Co. Cheers, lads.
In the meantime, Welsh rugby has to somehow carry on regardless. An autumn campaign is around the corner. In essence, the can has been kicked down the road. But while we still wait for a firm resolution, the end result could be more top Wales-based stars leaving for either England or rugby's rebel league R360.
The top example is national captain Jac Morgan, out of contract at the end of the season with the Ospreys. Morgan has met with English giants Saracens among others as he assesses his options. With the future of the Ospreys at best unclear, who could blame him if he walked away?
Wales captain Jac Morgan is among the players who must surely be tempted to seal a move away amid the uncertainty over their career
'We want to attract and keep our playing talent in Wales and we think playing in three competitive teams is a lot more attractive than playing in four non-competitive teams,' Collier-Keywood said.
The WRU were right to recognise the current system wasn't working. But that was due to their historical poor leadership and, more importantly, underwhelming investment into professional rugby.
Now, the Welsh game is suffering and the clubs are at threat as a result. Those currently in its corridors of power are struggling badly to turn the tide even if it is clear there are no easy answers or quick fixes.
However, a clear way forward has to be found and soon. It wasn't on Friday. Even by the standards of the bonkers world that is Welsh rugby, its latest press briefing really was quite mad.
