On one level this is a huge strength. Everyone in Wales cares and that is why I am listening to all criticism and challenge. I also want to thank each and every one of you who has taken time to send messages of support. You remind me why I chose to do this job and increase my courage and determination to put Welsh rugby back where it belongs. It is easy to write off Welsh rugby. This happens in all sports when things aren’t going right on the pitch, but we would be much worse off if no one cared. If the radio phone-ins were silent and the social media accounts ignored us.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Matt Sherratt, TR Thomas, Adam Jones and the rest of the coaching team who helped bring hope and pride back to Wales with important progress made against Scotland and Ireland in particular. It is testament to the positive relationship we have in the professional game that Matt and Cardiff Rugby were immediately available to help in our hour of need. We can’t fault the players who have played their hearts out and put in every effort during the recent poor run of results.
Nothing I can say in these paragraphs can change the score on Saturday. There will be a sense of ‘how did we come to this? and ‘where do we go from here?’ We have felt the pain of the recent losses as keenly as the nation has.
This result was set in train over many years and there are no quick fixes. However, we know what we need to do, we will get it right and rise again. You can check in on the plan here
We are making new appointments that will help everyone see that the plan is progressing. Soon we will announce a new Director of Professional Rugby. This will be swiftly followed by the appointment of a new senior men’s head coach. We are also about to appoint a Chief Growth Officer to our executive team. These three appointments are pivotal to our plan, on and off the pitch, to rise again.
We will shortly announce a new PRA25 agreement which governs the relationship between the Union and our four professional clubs and ensures sufficient funding to achieve the success on the field we all crave, at a regional and national level. This agreement is awaiting final approval, but we are together now more than ever in the professional game. We are One Wales.
Most pertinently to our community clubs we are consulting on a new investment model, which my colleagues have been sharing in district meetings, designed to ensure growth and sustainability in our community game.
At the WRU we have already identified efficiencies to bring our business into a professional, fit for purpose organisation – befitting a well-run £100 million business – and our newly professionalised Board is overseeing this process with vigour and due diligence employed every step of the way. Rugby Union may have gone professional in 1995, but the WRU will remember 2025 as the year it completed this process in earnest. It may have taken too long, but the moment is here.
The women’s and girl’s game in Wales is growing exponentially and I wish Wales Women the very best of luck as they head off to Scotland for their opening round 2025 Six Nations match. I look forward to seeing those of you who plan to attend the record breaking second round fixture against England’s Red Roses in a further week’s time.
We also saw a record home attendance at the Wales men’s U20s fixture at Cardiff Arms Park on the final round of their campaign and I was delighted that Wales U20s did secure victory over a Grand Slam chasing English side. I know this doesn’t take away the pain of what followed the next day, but it reflects the significant improvements we are making to our senior men’s pathway and gives us an indication of our potential long-term progress.
I join a podcast with BBC Wales Scrum V this morning and another with WalesOnline to share these thoughts and feelings, which I hope you will be able to listen to or read about.
However, it is also hugely important to me to also be able to write to you directly, to face up to the current situation we find ourselves in but also to explain that we are on course to fix things.
Thank you for reading, listening or tuning in and please do not lose the passion for Welsh rugby that we all share.
The future will bring change and positivity, under our new One Wales strategy.
Abi Tierney
WRU CEO
