Welsh rugby: WRU was in denial on sexism - acting chief exec

Nigel Walker

Nigel Walker: "As an organisation we have been in denial as to the extent of the problem"

There were "warning signs" of sexism in Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) but the organisation was "in denial", its acting chief executive has said.

Nigel Walker apologised when questioned by a Senedd committee on Thursday.

He said work is underway to publish a redacted version of an "uncomfortable" unpublished report into women's rugby.

Mr Walker spoke at a culture and sport hearing into allegations of sexism and misogyny aired by BBC Wales Investigates.

At the session Welsh government sports minister Dawn Bowden said she "did what I could" to address the claims before the programme was aired.

A Labour MP had said on Wednesday that the Welsh government was aware of the claims after they were raised in the Commons last year.

WRU chief executive Steve Phillips resigned at the weekend, while the union has announced an "external taskforce" will be created to review accusations of sexism, misogyny and racism.

Mr Walker said the name of the person appointed to chair a taskforce to review the culture within the WRU should be announced on Friday.

He says she is a woman with experience of working in the judiciary.

"I think in any organisation, especially a large organisation like the Welsh Rugby Union, it's possible for things to happen over a period of time and for people to turn a blind eye and not to address those problems."

"So the warning signs have been there for quite some time," Mr Walker said.

"When it's presented as graphically as it was during that programme, the BBC Wales programme the week before last, it hits you like a 10-ton truck."

He apologised and said his thoughts were with staff and players who had negative experiences.

"To be candid, I think as an organisation we have been in denial as to the extent of the problem," he said.

The acting chief executive said that cases had been "in theory dealt with and people have moved on".

"Each individual case has been an indication that there has been a wider problem but people have not joined the dots," he said.

Ieuan Evans: "We need to demonstrate that we are a modern fit-for-purpose organisation"

Mr Walker said an unpublished report commissioned by WRU into the women's game "would not make comfortable reading" and work was being done to get a "redacted version" published.

"I personally have no objection to the report being released," he said.

Mr Walker said London-based arbitration company Sports Resolution has been asked to set up the review but it will be the responsibility of the chairwoman to choose the other members of the panel, of which there will be three or four people.

Terms of reference will be set by Sports Resolution and Sports Wales in discussion with the Welsh Government and the WRU. Mr Walker confirmed the review's report and recommendations would be made public.

"It will look at the culture of Welsh rugby, including sexism and misogyny, going back to 2017 but could go further back," Mr Walker said.

"We are opening our doors. The review can take any direction the chair wants it to take."

'Sobering'

Mr Walker was asked whether former employees who had signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) would be able to give evidence to the review.

He said he "cannot trample over law, but I would look to facilitate it".

WRU chairman Ieuan Evans said the WRU were "aware as the stewards of Welsh rugby that we have a great responsibility and we're aware that we've disappointed the rugby family across Wales".

"The experience has been sobering for us but as new chair I am determined to make the changes that are necessary to improve rugby in Wales," he told the sports committee.

Mr Evans said proposals to modernise the WRU board, announced Wednesday night, were recommended by a review last year.

"We need to demonstrate that we are a modern fit-for-purpose organisation on and off the field," he said.

Sports minister Dawn Bowden: "I had nothing formal, I had no evidence"

Mr Walker admitted that "changing the board or the governance of the WRU is not going to solve all the ills of the Welsh Rugby Union".

"That's our problem at the moment, that it is dominated by males," he said.

"It's the uncle of the person who ran the club last year or five years ago, 10 years ago, the nephew of somebody else - we just need to broaden that out and make it more open.

"But that will take time, it won't happen overnight."

'Strict constraints' on minister

Later, Welsh government sports minister Dawn Bowden told the committee she "did what I could" to address allegations of sexism in the Welsh Rugby Union before the BBC investigation.

She said there were "very strict constraints" on her because the WRU was an independent business.

Ms Bowden said she discussed sexism with the WRU last year but had not seen formal complaints or allegations.

"It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to have gone out, if you like, searching out complaints," she said.

Ms Bowden confirmed Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi wrote to her last year, setting out concerns about the women's game and the resignation of Amanda Blanc from the WRU.

She also wrote about anonymous complaints, some of which had already been reported in the press.

Ms Bowden told the Senedd's culture and sport committee that in "numerous meetings" with the WRU over a number of issues she raised "in very general terms issues around misogyny, sexism and diversity on the board".

But she said: "Obviously I had no detail of anything so I wasn't able to talk in specific detail, and it would not have been appropriate for me to do so in any event, particularly as one of the cases in question was subject to a legal claim at that time."

"I did what I could in the best way that I could with the powers that were available to me as a government minister, given that I had nothing formal.

"I had no evidence, I only had what was in the public domain."

"A choice was made to stay silent"

She said the Welsh government took "decisive action" after the BBC Wales investigation last month, "because that was the first time we had heard the extent and the detail of the issues".

There was criticism of Ms Bowden's performance from opposition committee members after the meeting.

Heledd Fychan, who speaks for Plaid Cymru on sport, said: "The minister talks about 'constraints' of the allegations not being in the public domain, but this simply isn't true - there were quite horrific complaints in the public domain from last summer.

"The minister has had ample opportunities to make a written statement, or raise these issues in committee, but a choice was made to stay silent, and the minister must now explain why."

Welsh Conservative sports spokesman Tom Giffard said it was clear that ministers "could have been done more".

"If the Labour government could attach strings to the Economic Resilience Fund to ensure that businesses in receipt of Covid support be unionised at time of national crisis, why could the Labour government not apply conditions to any of the grants or loans to the WRU?" he said.

"There are lessons to be learned as to how the Labour government can better use public money, given there is evidence to suggest that they have been aware of misogyny allegations in the WRU for some time."

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