WRU chair Collier-Keywood wants to stay in role

Richard Collier-Keywood was appointed as the Welsh Rugby Union's first independent chair in 2023

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chair Richard Collier-Keywood says he was "embarrassed" by Wales' 73-0 defeat against South Africa, but wants to continue to lead the organisation.

The 11-try hammering was a record home loss and the second worst result in Welsh rugby history following the 96-13 loss against the Springboks in 1998.

Collier-Keywood has been in post since 2023 with Wales losing 21 of the last 23 internationals in the past two years.

He is one of the driving forces behind major change in Welsh rugby with plans to cut professional sides from four to three.

When asked whether he was still the right person to lead the WRU, Collier-Keywood replied: "Yes, I am.

"It's obviously subject to the board and the clubs agreeing with that."

Collier-Keywood also backed director of rugby Dave Reddin as a "breath of fresh air" as he aims to push through radical changes.

Asked whether Welsh rugby has improved since he took over, Collier-Keywood replied: "There's a very significant set of improvements and I'm not talking just about the financial side.

"When I first came into this role a few things struck me. The first was we were up against our banking covenants.

"We basically didn't have any money to spend on anything. We had significant and onerous contracts, be it with professional clubs or many of the people we were partnering with.

"We've professionalised governance in the WRU and you've got a diverse board now."

'Springboks mismatch shows need for change'

Collier-Keywood admitted his raw emotions after watching the Springboks loss which followed autumn defeats against Argentina and New Zealand and a narrow victory over Japan.

"I felt very disappointed, very upset, it was hard to take," he said.

"I was embarrassed, yes. Any Welsh person sitting there would have been embarrassed.

"It was as bad as my worst expectations. Inevitably you go into games and think about a range of potential outcomes and that was probably at the worst end.

"I was concerned about the boys out on the field, it was clearly a massive mismatch and shows you how far we have got to go."

Collier-Keywood believes the scale of the loss - and other results this season - gives the WRU a clear mandate to push through major changes.

"Absolutely [but] it was pretty clear to many of us before that major change was needed anyway," he said.

"We've got to reflect on some of the positive changes Steve Tandy [Wales head coach] has made, particularly in the Argentina and New Zealand matches.

"To snatch a win against Japan was a great result and showed character.

"We've made progress and the disappointing thing, or the reason why I felt hardest about, was going into the changing room at the end seeing how down the boys felt.

"Steve did a great job in trying to remind them of the good things in that campaign, but that [South Africa loss] will have weighed heavily on their minds.

"I've been told by others, who have played professional rugby, you need one good thumping in your life to work out how far we've got to go and inspire you to reach the heights. But that would have felt tough."

Why Wales played South Africa

The WRU has been criticised for organising the match outside World Rugby's international window with Tandy without 13 players based with clubs in England and France.

But the fixture was originally agreed in 2018 but was twice postponed, in 2020 and 2021, due to Covid.

"I don't think you can cancel matches just because you're worried about the result," said Collier-Keywood.

"I can't remember an international rugby game that's been cancelled because a nation didn't want to play it. That would have sent shock waves through the tier one rugby world.

"It wasn't an option to cancel so we went ahead, that was the right thing to do."

Matchday revenue was also a factor given almost two-thirds (62%) of the WRU's income comes from international matches at the Principality Stadium.

Although the crowd was only just over 50,000, the game is expected to have generated around £2m, much of which, the WRU says, is reinvested into the game.

"It's a substantial amount of income we'd have forgone and the penalty to pay South Africa if we cancelled was more than a £1m."

WRU financial report

Collier-Keywood was talking at the WRU annual general meeting (AGM) in the Vale of Glamorgan on Sunday.

The union's annual report, which included the financial figures up until the end of June 2025, was presented to the clubs less than 48 hours earlier.

They show turnover has risen from £102.7m to £106.1m, overall losses have fallen from £10.1m in 2024 to £7.2m while the operating loss is down from £8.8m to £4.7m.

However, the WRU claims that last figure should stand at £0.8m because the costs of acquiring Cardiff in April and an "exceptional circumstances" category should not be included in the final operating loss total.

The exceptional circumstances include costs of redundancy payments to staff and professional services fees, including legal fees relating to the drafting of a new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) with the regions.

Governing body chiefs say an improved commercial performance meant investment in the professional game, including men's and women's performance pathways, Super Rygbi Cymru and the regional clubs was £45.4m. This is compared to £48.4m in 2023-24, which included a World Cup.

Direct WRU payments to the community game remained at £3.3m, with a commitment to increase this to £3.6m next year.