Welsh Rugby: Review found sexist treatment of women by WRU

The WRU was told about unfavourable treatment of female rugby players in a 2021 review

Concerns female rugby players in Wales may have faced "unfavourable treatment" were highlighted to the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) two years before sexism allegations were revealed by BBC Wales.

Extracts of the 2021 independent review have been published as part of a Senedd report that found "systemic failures in the culture of the WRU".

Allegations of sexism and racism were uncovered in January.

The WRU said the report had led to a "great deal" of change.

The previously unseen review of the Wales women's rugby game was written two years before allegations of sexism were highlighted by a BBC Wales Investigates programme in January.

It concluded the WRU was, "facing a significant number of risks not only in respect of the women's performance programme, but as a national governing body (NGB) for rugby in Wales".

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The WRU previously resisted calls for the review to be published, including from former board member Amanda Blanc who had criticised the culture at the union.

In the aftermath of the revelations reported by BBC Wales the WRU apologised, its chief executive Steve Phillips resigned and an independent panel was appointed to look at the culture within the organisation.

Acting WRU chief executive Nigel Walker told a Senedd committee the organisation had been in "denial" about the "extent of the problem"

Extracts of the 2021 review are contained within a Senedd sport committee report into the WRU.

One review conclusion titled "legal risk" said: "There is the potential for individuals within the game (currently and formerly) to challenge the WRU with some worrying examples of what could be defined as unfavourable treatment and a lack of equitable provision provided through this review."

Another conclusion titled "reputational risk" said: "The perceived intransigence and reluctance to fully commit to women's performance in respect of investment, profile, culture and leadership will only serve to reinforce views of the WRU as a NGB for men's rugby with little interest in the female game."

In evidence to the committee, the WRU acting chief executive, Nigel Walker said there were 40 recommendations in the 2021 review, and told the committee, "it was obvious that the Welsh Rugby Union had failed women's rugby".

The Senedd report also highlighted six reports in the past five years of sexist, racist or homophobic complaints within the WRU, with three WRU staff members being subject to disciplinary action following the allegations.

Responding to a question from the committee about non-disclosure agreements, the WRU said it had used four "settlement agreements" in the past five years connected to allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia.

The committee said there was "long-standing toxic behaviour" within the WRU and opportunities were missed to act on "concerning behaviour".

These included "formal complaints, the WRU entering into several settlement agreements in relation to allegations of sexism, racism and homophobia over several years, the review into the women's game and the resignation of Amanda Blanc".

'Utterly unacceptable'

Committee chairperson Delyth Jewell MS said evidence showed the WRU "had seen a failure of governance" and "there were failures in the culture of the union that led to women feeling that they had no choice but to go to the press about what had happened to them".

She said: "That was utterly unacceptable, it should never have happened that way."

Ms Jewell added that women's voices should be kept "at the heart of our deliberations", so when a new review is published "we can have complete faith" that recommendations are actually acted upon.

The Senedd sport committee found a "serious failure of governance" by the WRU

The committee added: "It is unacceptable that it took a BBC documentary for the Welsh Rugby Union to act decisively."

Speaking to the BBC's Walescast podcast earlier this month, Henry Engelhardt, a WRU independent non-executive director and a former chief executive of Admiral Insurance described the BBC investigation as "sensationalism".

But soon after Mr Walker insisted the organisation, including Mr Engelhardt were "remorseful" about what went on in the union.

In its report the committee made several recommendations, including that any future Welsh government funding to the WRU should be compatible with a violence against women strategy.

The committee also called on the Welsh government to review how ministers and civil servants respond to concerns raised with them regarding inappropriate behaviour in organisations in Wales.

The WRU said: "We have already accepted, and did so again at the committee session, that we have much work to do to ensure that we address our past failures and we again express our sincere remorse for the missed opportunities and failures described and offer our sincere apologies to anyone affected.

"We commissioned the independent report into the Women's performance area in 2021 to identify concerns and help us reshape our support for our international players.

"This led to a great deal of change and we are pleased to be able to report that the recommendations have been substantively delivered. We are very proud of the way in which our squad has responded to these changes and we hope that the results are clear to see."