David Moffett, the former chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union, has warned that unless there is a regime change Wales will become a second-tier nation.
Moffett has helped force an extraordinary general meeting next Sunday of the body he used to run when a vote of no confidence in the board of directors will be proposed. He returned to Wales from New Zealand at the start of the year with the aim of standing for election to the WRU. He is making a pitch to become the governing body’s chairman on a manifesto of radical change.
Moffett struggled to receive support from clubs initially, but the WRU’s plans to reorganise the leagues at community level next season without consultation prompted a wave of discontent that meant 43 members of the union, including the four regions, calling the meeting, which will be held in Port Talbot.
Nine points for discussion have been tabled, including the board’s decision to pay off more of the debt on the Millennium Stadium than required. Moffett, who has hired accountants to sift through the WRU’s accounts, believes it has cost the game £16.6m at a time of the deepest recession for 80 years. His figure is disputed by the WRU.
Moffett had planned to reveal the accountants’ findings in Port Talbot, but the WRU’s decision to allow clubs to vote by proxy, on the grounds that the meeting is on Father’s Day and some delegates may prefer to stay at home, has prompted him to speak out in advance.
“The WRU is within its constitutional right to all clubs to vote by proxy, but it is against the spirit of the regulations because any who take up the offer would be making a decision before hearing the arguments,” said Moffett. “When clubs know what it going on, I think they will want to attend, which they are able to do even if they have taken up the proxy option.
“The game in Wales is in desperate need of a regime change. When you compare the make-up of the WRU’s board with those in England and Scotland, it is clear we are not attracting the same quality of directors and that is because of an out-dated system here that needs to be overhauled.
“My fear is that if nothing happens and the current lot are allowed to muddle on, this country will drop to the second-tier of rugby because of a disconnect with the grassroots and the regions, together with a failure to appreciate how the players of tomorrow are produced.”
The four regions are waiting until the outcome of the meeting before deciding whether to sign a service agreement with the WRU to replace the one that runs out at the end of the month. If the vote of no confidence fails, one day after the first of two Tests between Wales and South Africa, they will be under pressure to reach for a pen even though they believe there is almost no prospect of a harmonious, working relationship with the union’s executive.
