Former Wales and British and Irish Lions wing Shane Williams says financial support for schools and colleges rugby from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is “almost non-existent”.

Wales’ record try scorer is head of rugby at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and suggests that support is reserved for elite players tied to regions.

The 49-year-old warns that good players are being lost because of a lack of WRU investment in student pathways.

“It’s the most important part of it all,” Williams told Radio Wales Breakfast.

“Where do these youngsters come from? Are we looking after them in the pathway?

“Are we just prioritising the elite players that the regions are looking after? And the answer to that is ‘yes’.

“We need far more help and we try and do our best as head of rugby and coaches in these schools and colleges, but we don’t seem to be getting much back at the minute.

“It is frustrating, I see a lot of good players coming through the system and I see a lot of good players being lost in the system or lost to England at the minute.”

Last month, former Wales captain Jonathan Davies called for the WRU board to step down.

Businesswoman Hayley Parsons had already called for them to stand down before Davies did the same, while former Principality Building Society chief operating officer Rob Regan has offered to oversee an interim board.

In a statement, the WRU board did not directly address the calls for its members to resign but stated “the kinds of personal insults and attacks that have become far too commonplace are unacceptable”.

The board also doubled down on its commitment to cut the number of professional teams from four to three by 2028, with WRU-owned Cardiff and privately-backed Dragons set to be given licences.

That announcement has plunged the futures of Scarlets and Ospreys into doubt, with the west licence either being awarded to the Llanelli-based side or their Swansea-based rivals.

Asked whether he still had faith in those running the game in Wales, Williams, who coaches in west Wales, said: “No, I don’t have much faith, to be honest with you.”

“I think we’re still none the wiser.

“I think they just took a little break in deciding what was going to happen, but knowing deep down in their hearts that they wanted it to be three regions.

“We as coaches know the uncertainty of who’s going to remain as a region next year and that is very difficult.

“But what we are trying to do and what we do need is a bit more support in the pathway side of the rugby.

“We talk about the regions, we talk about the national team, but where do they think these players come from?

“I can answer that for you straight away. That is schools and colleges.”

The WRU has been asked to comment.