England World Cup winner to join independent panel for review into WRU culture
England World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi has been appointed to the independent review panel that will report on organisational culture and behaviour within the Welsh Rugby Union.
Sport Resolutions, administrators of the review, had previously confirmed former Court of Appeal judge Dame Anne Rafferty as panel chair, and she will be joined by Alphonsi and Quentin Smith.
A commissioning advisory group has also been established to support the review, which comprises WRU representative Henry Engelhardt and Sport Wales’ Emma Wilkins, the WRU said.
Alphonsi won 74 England caps, and was a member of England’s 2014 World Cup-winning team. She has remained involved in the game through extensive media work.
Smith was chair of Sale Sharks for 10 years, is a former Premiership Rugby chair and a director of England Rugby 2015 Limited, which delivered the World Cup in England that year.
Culture
He currently chairs the Football Association’s exceptions panel and the professional football negotiating and consultative committee, comprising the Premier League, English Football League, the Professional Footballers’ Association and the FA.
The independent review began a month ago, covering a period from 2017 to the present.
It is investigating allegations of sexism, misogyny, homophobia and racism, and will also examine the organisational culture and behaviours of leadership at all levels at the WRU.
WRU chair Ieuan Evans and acting chief executive Nigel Walker appeared before the Senedd’s Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee in early February.
They were called to give evidence after serious allegations were aired in a programme by BBC Wales Investigates.
Steve Phillips stepped down as WRU chief executive in January, and it was announced that an external taskforce had been asked to carry out an independent review.
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Dirty and sly player.
Wait, What!? This is ridiculous, WRU have lost all credibility, and whoever are picking these people. How the **** can you appoint a player from your biggest rival? This is taking Welsh rugby to an all time new level of Laughable.
Er think you’ll find the WRU lost all credibility when it did nothing about an employee who ‘joked’ about raping a female colleague. When it did nothing about employees making racist remarks at meetings. And when it allowed mysogynists in Welsh rugby to force out one of the world’s most successful business women. That disgraceful toxic culture needs to be changed or the WRU has no future – this independent review panel are part of the process of addressing and ending that disgraceful toxic culture.
Yet no proof has been provided, it’s all hear say. Rugby in Wales is dead! And Our reputation is dead! Then throw a Ex- rival rugby player into the mix. I have no doubt they’ll find “Proof” now. The Welsh sure do love to bend a knee to anyone and everyone.
There’s also a guy called ‘Quentin’ getting in on the act. This is gold.
Er think you’ll find the WRU lost all credibility when it did nothing about an employee who is reported to have made a ‘joke’ about taking a female colleague home and r*ping her. When it did nothing about employees making racist remarks at meetings. And when it allowed mysogynists in Welsh rugby to force out one of the world’s most successful business women. That disgraceful toxic culture needs to be changed or the WRU has no future – this independent review panel are part of the process of addressing and ending that disgraceful toxic culture.
You’re repeating yourself here Leigh or has the machine at N.C gone into a bit of a giddy spell?. As far as Maggie is concerned she was a good player and may have had personal exposure to racism ( very likely) and misogyny (possibly) so is well placed to draw on any experience in her dealings within the scope of another Union. Now inbreds and other narrow minds this side of the Severn Crossing will get very tetchy – “what have we got to learn from our worst enemies” I hear them say. Well it might be a lot if… Read more »
When you read articles like this you know why Wales will never become independent!
Nonsense. When you read articles like this you realise welsh rugby has a serious problem with misogyny and racism
Wales is getting played as a nation, driven down the beige dead end cul-de-sac that is identity politics and shallow liberalism.
Who in Wales will stand up to this shaping of our agenda, our debate, our very psychology? Nobody in politics that’s for certain. Cowards, opportunists, carpetbaggers, and imbeciles rule the roost.
Don’t get too bogged down defending the WRU in its present condition from criticism. It is a bastion of loyalist unionist jingoism. It just can’t bear the thought of tearing itself away from the Crown and all its baubles. The 3 feathers, the patronage all stinks of a creeping subservience that just doesn’t fit with the 21st century. One of a number of institutions that needs a good shaking.
It is no surprise the WRU has turned to England for assistance, as they are as wedded to the UK as Labour is, and see everything from a unionist point, where England is the closest ally, and looked up to. Proof of this was scrapping the 7s team, at England’s request to form a GB team, and now assisting in setting up a female version of the British Lions being implemented by the RFU at Twickenham (HQ). How people are surprised is beyond me, remember, it was only in the early 70’s the WRU stopped playing god save the queen,… Read more »