The two posts will sit alongside the positions of National Performance Manager, recently filled by Huw Wiltshire and Match Officials Development Manager taken up by Robert Yeman.
The structure is one of a number of outcomes of the WRU Review into the Elite game in Wales which began after the national team’s exit from the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
The restructuring continues the streamlining of the current rugby department set-up, a process which started last month and saw the appointment of Wiltshire alongside the advertising of the top job of Head of Rugby Development, a post which carries a seat on the WRU executive board.
Applications for the senior position close tomorow (Friday, 6 June) and the two new management positions, which are dedicated to seeking out, nurturing and developing existing and future playing and coaching talent at all levels of the game in Wales, will complete the structure below executive board level.
The first new role will be specifically charged with identifying new and existing coaching talent in Wales at both development and elite levels and ensuring that talent is safeguarded and utilised to the maximum benefit of the national game in this country.
The National Rugby Development Manager will work alongside the National Coach Development Manager and will be responsible for both participation and performance elements within the game. A key element of this will be to identifying the top playing talent and ensure the correct structures and pathways are in place for that talent to achieve its full potential in Wales at the relevant level for that individual.
Talking about the two new posts Roger Lewis, the WRU Chief Executive, said: “The WRU is seeking high calibre professional candidates who can identify, nurture and develop the plentiful supply of coaching expertise that already exists throughout the game in Wales.
“We are building a rugby management structure that will be responsible for ensuring the right talent is available to facilitate all the key aspects of our national game in years to come.
“We must ensure the correct pathways are in place for the top coaching and playing talent in Wales to rise to the top and also ensure that talented individuals at all levels of the game are given the optimum chance to fulfill their potential – whether that be as a coach, player or match official.”
The fourth and final appointment at this level in the new management structure is that of Match Officials Development Manager. This position has been filled from within the WRU by former international referee Robert Yeman, who had previously been managing the referees department at the Union.
“Refereeing is a fundamental aspect of the game, an area without which matches would not be able to take place – no referee, no game – and Rob is already extremely active with his work on referee recruitment and development throughout Welsh rugby,” said Lewis.
“This new structure will place him in the middle of a team of rugby experts and the voice of the match official will be loudly heard.”
As part of the overall rugby review into the Elite game in Wales, the restructuring has meant that some current staff may have to leave the WRU. The review is based upon sharply focusing the structure of the WRU’s rugby development to meet the fast moving needs of the game in Wales at all levels.
“It is with enormous regret that we may have to say farewell to some members of the team. At times we have to make very difficult decisions,” added Lewis.
“The people who may leave certainly go with our thanks and sincerest best wishes for the future. At present we are in the middle of this process and everyone affected by this restructuring is fully aware of its implications.
“We have come a very long way since Nantes. There is much work to be done however and the Union is feeling very positive about its ambition to create sustainability on and off the field.
“The business is in very good health and the structures we are building are shaping up well to take us forward.
“It’s tough work, we don’t always get it right every time, but we will not shy away from continually reviewing all of our actions if it’s in the best interests of the game in Wales.”
