WRU Chairman Gareth Davies acknowledges some of the most important senior figures in the boardrooms of Welsh rugby and also sends his sympathies accross the Severn and beyond, plus updates from around the game in Wales and more in the latest WRU Status Update:
We have, naturally, used these pages to talk directly about Welsh rugby, our community game and how it has been and will be affected by the current international health crisis.
Of course we can’t talk about the club game without talking about the international game, the two are interlinked, but in the same way we can’t talk about the Wales without thinking of the global rugby scene.
I’d like to take a second to express heartfelt sympathy for anyone in our industry, or those affiliated to it, who may be experiencing hardship.
We have heard news this week from across the Severn that a series of redundancies will be forced upon the RFU and closer to home there are many people throughout Wales who will be worried about potential job cuts announced by their employer.
These are difficult times, we remain singularly determined to ensure Welsh rugby emerges intact from this current crisis, but we also wish our many friends and colleagues well.
Further potential investment in the game could of course help and it is widely known that, over the past year, Six Nations has been involved in exclusive negotiations with CVC Capital Partners. But it is important to note that there is no set timeline for the completion of this process. If any agreement were to go ahead, it would not be accelerated due to challenges presented by the current external environment. Discussions are confidential, but we will keep everyone updated as and when we can, for now the full statement on the subject from Six Nations can be found below.
I must extend the congratulations of everyone on the Welsh Rugby Union Board to one of our number, Amanda Blanc, who also chairs our Professional Rugby Board. Amanda was appointed as CEO of Aviva plc this week and is one of only six women to be currently at the helm of a FTSE 100 company.
We are delighted that she will be staying in her volunteer position with the PRB. She is one of five women who sit in senior positions in Welsh rugby alongside Aileen Richards, Liza Burgess, Marianne Okland and Julie Paterson. This impressive series of individuals feature in turn on the WRU Board, the PRB, the World Rugby Council and our executive board, with most sitting across more than one of each.
We take no responsibility for the impressive careers that have led these individuals to their current roles, each has been appointed – or elected in the case of Liza Burgess – on their own merits, but I do think we should take pride in ourselves as an organisation that we now have five senior female figures contributing to Welsh rugby in this way. We are particularly proud of Liza’s achievement as the first elected female national director to join the WRU Board in 130 years of history, but hope that more will follow. Next, we would also like to see one of the many women at the forefront of the community game in Wales elected to our Board as a district representative. To literally rise up from our club-base, if you like.
Yours in rugby,
Gareth Davies, WRU chairman
These are difficult times, we remain singularly determined to ensure Welsh rugby emerges intact from this current crisis, but we also wish our many friends and colleagues well...
