Welsh Rugby Union: Governing body fails in bid to appoint independent chair

In 2020 Rob Butcher became WRU's fifth chairman of the professional era, following Vernon Pugh QC, Glanmor Griffiths, David Pickering and Gareth Davies

The Welsh Rugby Union has failed in its bid to give the board the option of appointing an additional independent director as the organisation's chair.

The motion was presented at the annual general meeting at the Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff on Sunday.

The special resolution needed 75% approval from the clubs but received only 65.6% of the 221 votes cast.

Current WRU chair Rob Butcher was backing the motion.

The WRU board will remain as 12 members with only eight of those eligible to become the chair.

The board consists of chief executive Steve Phillips, three independent non-executive directors who are Henry Engelhardt, Catherine Read and Professional Rugby Board chair Malcolm Wall and the eight directors who have first been elected by members to the WRU Council.

The proposed reform would have given the board the ability to appoint their own independent chair, someone not elected by clubs, who would also be a 13th member on the board.

That would have given them the option to look outside for an individual with the skills required to be at the head of a business which turns over £100m.

But it has been refused by member clubs with Butcher having spent the last few weeks holding meetings with clubs around Wales to discuss the proposal.

It was the first time a motion for the ability to appoint an independent chair had been tabled at a WRU AGM.

"To get 75% of anything is difficult and on this occasion we just fell short," said Butcher.

"We are disappointed but we have to reposition ourselves and think it through and go forward.

"I am still convinced in my mind it was the right thing to do. Unless you ask, you don't know.

"The next stage of the process is for the board to meet, discuss and reflect. I would argue, somehow or other, we have to think how we take it forward to get where we want to go because I am convinced it's a sound idea.

"It's the right and positive thing to do in making our game better.

"I am convinced if there is an overall mantra, it's to make the Welsh Rugby Union better than it is at the moment, and this would have been a step on the way."

Cardiff chief executive Richard Holland and Dragons chairman David Buttress criticised the decision by the clubs.