Whatever your views about what is best for the future of Welsh rugby, there is no justification for the highly personal insults and attacks that have been recently directed at members of our staff and at the WRU Board.
Everyone involved in Welsh rugby wants the same thing. A sustainable sport that works for every village, town and city in Wales and that achieves regular success at an elite level, in both the men’s and women’s game. This is exactly what our strategy for the future is designed to deliver. From our new community investment model, which has been successfully launched across the grassroots game, to the extra investment in our Super Rygbi Cymru competition, and the advancements being made in our national squads.
The current WRU Board is a product of a series of changes voted through almost unanimously by WRU member clubs. These changes were specifically designed to increase diversity of thought and improve commercial, financial, business and professional rugby expertise whilst also keeping the contributions of WRU member clubs – and this is exactly what has happened.
The WRU has worked closely with the leadership of our men’s professional teams to address the financial and performance challenges facing our sport. There is no realistic prospect of the game generating enough revenue to fund four professional teams competitively beyond 2028. The available finances, and the player-base needed to sustain them, are spread too thinly across four teams to give any of them what they need to succeed.
Our shareholders – our member clubs – are also aware of the stark challenges we face, having come together earlier this year for an extraordinary general meeting where they were provided with a transparent update on our plans to address these challenges. At the meeting, members from clubs in every corner of the country were given the opportunity to raise questions and provide comment on the decisions that we as their Board have taken.
Since then, and following the extensive consultation process undertaken last year, the WRU Board has reconsidered in detail a range of factors when determining the future operating model for the men’s professional game. These have included – population and accessibility, rugby infrastructure, financial sustainability, player pathways, sporting performance, fans’ support and heritage.
As a professional, responsible group of individuals with the same aim, we have affirmed the difficult decision to move to a three-club model. The new model is designed to develop a strong and sustainable professional structure and a pathway system that gives future players, across our rugby strongholds, the best opportunity to develop.
All involved in the leadership of our men’s professional game – the WRU and the four current clubs – have agreed to come together later this year to begin shaping what the future licensing arrangements for the new model will look like. The WRU Board recognises the significance of the changes proposed, and we have and will always welcome constructive input. We are not deaf to criticism, but it has to come with credible alternatives. The kinds of personal insults and attacks that have become far too commonplace are unacceptable.
As a small rugby nation, we need to work together – continuous cycles of unwarranted and unnecessary infighting will only make us weaker.