TIMELINE OF A TURBULENT WEEK FOR WALES

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

The Welsh Rugby Union are informally approached by the ‘integrity team’ of a betting company alerting them to Rob howley’s potential breach of World Rugby’s regulation 6, which covers betting and anticorruption. The Wales World Cup squad and staff leave their homes at 5.30am to catch an 11.40am flight to Japan from heathrow — howley travels.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

In the evening the WRU are formally handed more information relating to the serious allegations.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

WRU chiefs — led by chief executive Martyn Phillips — meet in Cardiff for crisis talks. It is decided that Phillips and Julie Paterson, the head of operations, fly to Japan to meet howley the next day. World Rugby are informed by the WRU that there was a potential betting breach.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

PhIllIPs and Paterson fly to Japan for a meeting with howley.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

hoWley and the Wales squad attend an open training session in Kitakyushu in front of 15,000 fans. once the WRU chiefs land they meet with howley and Warren Gatland. During a second meeting they tell howley he must return home where a formal investigation will begin. Gatland meets with the leadership group — namely Alun Wyn Jones, Ken owens, Jonathan Davies, Dan Biggar, Justin Tipuric, George north and Cory hill. A shortlist of replacements for howley is drawn up and the players pick stephen Jones, who was also Gatland’s preferred choice, and Jones is called up in the evening. howley does not attend the official capping ceremony that night.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

The rest of the squad are informed that howley has left and Jones will be flying in, hours before MailOnline breaks the story. howley lands back in the UK under a cloud.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

PhIllIPs, Gatland, Jonathan Davies and Dan Biggar speak at a press conference in Kitakyushu to explain the events of the last week. The players train twice later that day, once in the afternoon and once in the evening under floodlights to replicate conditions for their opening World Cup game against Georgia.

TODAY, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Jones will arrive and travel to Toyota to meet the Welsh squad who travel north to the city for the Georgia match on Monday.