What next for Wales? The big WRU interview with Tierney and Walker
WELSH Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney and executive director of rugby Nigel Walker spoke exclusively to Walesonline’s Welsh Rugby podcast to discuss the issues facing the game in Wales.
A wide range of topics were discussed including Warren Gatland’s future, the strategic review into the whole of Welsh rugby, the potential of cutting a region, the threat of English clubs signing up Wales’ brightest prospects and more.
Below is a flavour of what was discussed on the podcast.
THE MAJOR WRU REVIEW
THE WRU will publish its strategic review into the game in Wales at the end of June. It is expected to cover all aspects of Welsh rugby and “everything” will be on the table.
■ Abi Tierney: “The review is really good timing this year. We are doing our strategy more broadly for the next five years.
“We are looking at everything that feeds into Warren and his team being able to get the best possible results. We’ve got a really good time because that strategy is going to be published at the end of June to take the learnings from the Six Nations and really embed that into the strategy.
“That’s the first point. Then, as chief executive, rugby is no different, it’s a business.
“You are constantly ensuring that you are assessing the performance of your team and that you have the right people in the team. You don’t ever think there’s going to be one point where you think that isn’t going to work anymore.
“It’s a constant assessment. Do they have everything they need? Are they delivering the best that they can? Rugby is not unique in that position?
“One of the things I’ve learnt so much since taking on this job and transitioning from being a super fan to being a CEO is rugby across the world is facing once in a generation challenges.
“I genuinely believe that we are a small enough country where rugby matters more than anywhere else. If we get in the front foot of that and make some bold decisions now we can get ahead of the game.
“That is my aim. If we don’t do that rugby is going to continue to deteriorate in Wales.
“We can’t afford that and nobody wants it. I’ve read all the other reviews by the way and there’s common themes throughout all of them so it’s not rocket science here but we do need to make decisions because we are running out of track.
“We are working really collaboratively with the regions and they are right at the heart of our strategy. They are really helping co-create it.
“This isn’t a WRU group sat in an ivory tower telling the regions what good looks like. The question we are asking is what does good professional rugby look like in Wales?
“We are looking from the point a seven year-old picks up a ball right towards what we need in our academies. What is the sustainable funding model for the regions so that they can compete at the highest levels?
“What competitions do we want to play in in the future? All of those things are on the table and the clubs around that table having that conversation.”
■ Nigel Walker: “The Oakwell review was slightly different because it looked at one aspect. I know it’s an important aspect but it looked at one aspect.
“This is a review of the whole of Welsh rugby which is why we are consulting as widely as we are. That’s the first thing.
“I wouldn’t be sitting here and I’m sure Abi wouldn’t be sitting there if we thought this was an academic exercise. Whatever we come up with we will look to implement those changes in order to give Welsh rugby a better chance of being a successful business and within that business winning games of rugby at senior level all the way down.
“Then bringing in a whole raft of young boys and girls having their first experience of the game. The first time they pick up a ball at six or seven years of age and them enjoying that experience and wanting to be with their mates and to build in friendships that will last a lifetime and to build a love for the game which will go on for many decades.”
IS CUTTING A REGION AN OPTION?
Abi Tierney: “Everything is on the table. We are right in the middle of our strategy and we will come up with some decisions.
“That isn’t our preferred option at the moment at all. We want to find the best possible way we can go forward with all four regions but that has to be sustainable and it has to be one that we can continue to grow and they’ve got to be top performing in order to feed the national team.
“We’ve always said since the start of the strategy, everything is on the table but that’s not our preference.”
WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE REGIONS THEN?
■ Abi Tierney: “The idea of coming into a job where you spend five years cutting things and reducing budgets and making difficult decisions doesn’t get you up in the morning in the same way as turning around and growing a whole ecosystem.
“We are already looking and we’ve already got ideas. We are absolutely looking to see how we can increase the funding and there’s lots of different ways of doing that.
“You end up in a virtuous circle because if you have games that are competitive and clubs who are competing you get fans wanting to go and watch it. Their revenue goes up, players want to stay and with those players you get the heroes who the fans want to come and watch.
“That’s everything we are looking at.”
■ Nigel Walker: “When the announcement was made 12 months ago that the agreement had been signed it was signed as a flexible framework. We are now in year two.
“The ambition was always all along to raise revenue as we went through the six years. The reset was necessary because we were spending above our means at national and regional level.
“Before I took up employment with the WRU I was on the Cardiff board and I refer to an interview I did with a colleague of yours at the time. I stand by that.
“Nobody disagrees with me within the union. We know we need the regions to be strong and we know they need to be funded at an adequate level.
“If you are asking me if £4.5m is enough for us to go and win the Champions Cup the answer would be no and I don’t think anyone is going to say any different.
“We have to move incrementally up that chart as the money becomes available. Hopefully if that money is spent in the right way the regions will become more and more competitive.
“But we need the regions to develop the players, and they’ve got a reasonable track record of developing players. Could they improve?
“Of course, every business can improve. That’s why we are targeting and focusing on the academies and ring-fencing money to the academies because we know we’ve got to grow our own.
“We cant afford to have 10% or 15% of players not fullfilloing their potential.”
PLANS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST ENGLISH CLUBS STOPPING PLAYERS FROM REPRESENTING WALES AT AGE GRADE LEVEL
A number of young Welsh rugby players are signing with English club academies, with many having it written into their contracts they have to play for England at age grade if selected.
It is a big problem for Wales, with English clubs’ close ties with universities also allowing them to offer strong educational packages.
■ Nigel Walker: “Of course we are talking about those things internally. We are talking about those things with our international colleagues and we are talking about those things with World Rugby. We are going to look to defend our position where that’s concerned.
“We want players born in Wales and who are eligible to play for Wales to be able to play for Wales. We don’t want any loopholes to be taken advantage of if there are any loopholes.
“If it’s the best thing for the players, whether they be male or female, to get their education outside of Wales we are not going to stop them doing that.
“We do need to make sure the educational offer in Wales is as strong as it can be.
“We need to look at other things like bursaries, like having stronger relationships with those who will go across the border to make sure they come back once they finish their studies.
“We are looking at that whole raft of things.”
COULD WALES COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO STOP IMMANUEL FEYI-WABOSO PLAYING FOR ENGLAND?
■ Nigel Walker: “Am I satisfied that everything was done? No.
“Did we turn over every stone? I don’t think we did but I’ve had conversations with a number of people since and some of the things we could have done better last time we will do very well next time.
“Can we ever say that a player will never go across the border and never end up playing for England rather than Wales?
“No, we can’t but we can make it more difficult for that to happen.
“If I think of the collective support we offered to Immanuel around the time he was making his decision we could have done better as a collective.”
THE LATEST WITH THE WELSH GOVERNMENT LOAN
■ Abi Tierney: “There are ongoing conversations so no decisions as yet. I was talking to them and had a really constructive conversation with them on Monday.
“We are continuing to talk. A bit more information is needed but we should be able to give an outcome soon but they have been constructive conversations.”