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The WRU has come out strongly to try and ward off an EGM, questioning the motives of those pushing to derail their plans and oust chairman Richard Collier-Keywood
The Welsh Rugby Union’s warning to member clubs over a proposed EGM has been met with a strong backlash from some quarters, with one regional owner seemingly accusing bosses of scaremongering.
Late on Friday evening, the WRU branded calls for an emergency meeting as “short-sighted” – warning clubs that it would risk delaying much-needed reform.
The strongly-worded response, put out at 8.15pm by the WRU, described the calls for an extraordinary general meeting by some clubs as an “irresponsible first nuclear option” which would cause “significant damage” to the Welsh game.
Clubs are being urged by members of the Central Glamorgan Rugby Union district to call for an EGM amid ongoing uncertainty in Welsh rugby, with the WRU planning to cut the number of professional teams from four to three.
Friday’s response saw WRU president Terry Cobner, chairman Richard Collier-Keywood and chief executive Abi Tierney address all member clubs, questioning the motives of the move to call the EGM weeks after no issues were raised at the AGM.
“Welsh rugby is at a critical moment,” they said in a joint statement on Friday.
“This is not the moment to gamble with Welsh rugby’s future with the short-sighted and debilitating motions that have been presented.
“We have a plan. It was shaped by you. It is published. Let’s deliver it together.”
However, in the day or so since Friday’s strong output, the statement has been questioned by many.
Former Wales dual-code icon Jonathan ‘Jiffy’ Davies posted on social media: “The lack of humility is astounding!!”
Perhaps the most notable piece of criticism came from Dragons co-owner David Buttress.
While not responding to the WRU’s post directly, Buttress posted the following shortly after the WRU’s statement was released: “Very insightful from AI…..’Politicians often use scaremongering as a tactical tool to gain support, motivate voters, and control the public agenda. Fear is a powerful emotion that can bypass logical reasoning, making the public more susceptible to manipulation’.”
As part of the statement, the WRU claimed that governance integrity was at stake, saying an EGM could risk “reversing the ground-breaking governance reforms agreed by more than 90% of members as recently as 2023 would drag Welsh rugby back to outdated structures and a return to debilitation factional internal politics”.
However, Buttress also questioned that in response to another user on X, saying: “I’ve read the EGM documents this AM, there is absolutely nothing in there that suggests reversing the governance changes of 2 years ago. It talks specifically about a VONC (vote of no confidence) in individuals and the execution.”
The documents actually propose three different motions, while also calling for a halt to the WRU’s restructuring plans in order for a full review of WRU finances to take place amid criticism over the amount of money spent on consultants. There are also calls for the creation of a rugby steering group and the establishment of a central national academy within three months.
The first motion is a vote of no confidence in WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and Professional Rugby Board chair Malcolm Wall. This needs a share of 50.1% of the votes to pass.
The second motion wants the WRU to hold elections for the four elected WRU council member board positions within 14 days after the EGM which again requires 50.1% of the votes to pass.The third motion wants to amend how the WRU district and council members are elected, but unlike the first two motions this requires a 75% share of the vote.
