Ryan Jones appointed performance director in WRU reshuffle

Ryan Jones won 75 Wales caps over a 10-year international career

Former Wales captain Ryan Jones has been named the new Welsh Rugby Union performance director.

Jones switches from his old role as head of rugby participation to lead the professional game and joins the newly formed Professional Rugby Board (PRB).

In what is effectively a job swap, Geraint John has switched from his old role of head of rugby performance.

John has been appointed as WRU Community Director and will serve the new Community Rugby Board (CRB).

The WRU's longest serving executive board member Julie Paterson becomes WRU Operations Director and will also sit on the PRB and CRB.

Chief executive Martyn Phillips has re-aligned his executive team with the reshuffle following the new WRU Board being reduced from 20 to 12 members.

"When we appointed Ryan and Geraint in 2016, we split the existing head of rugby role into two, giving direct and exclusive responsibility to the community game to an individual executive board member for the first time," said Phillips.

"We recognised the head of rugby job was too big for one person and the move to divide it up between both individuals has paid dividends.

"Ryan, Julie and Geraint have worked closely together for the last three years and this move will only lead to further integration and a continuation to our joined-up approach to the whole of Welsh rugby.

"The changes mean Ryan will now sit on the PRB and bring direct, extensive and recent experience of the elite game in Wales to its important decision making processes.

"Geraint will become the new champion of the community game and Julie will continue her vitally important work to ensure the execution of our plan is joined up and is delivering our long-term ambitions across the community and professional game."