Davies in plea over top WRU position

GARETH Davies has appealed to Wales’ grassroots clubs to re-elect him as a National Council member of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The former Wales outside-half, who is chairman of the organisation, has written a personal letter to the country’s 300-plus clubs ahead of the vote.

He is being challenged by two other ex-Wales captains – Ieuan Evans and Nigel Davies – for a place on the union.

Davies, who has been in the role since 2014, has declared he is willing to stay on as chairman to help the game in Wales face up to the financial challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

But he has to overcome a couple of hurdles to do so. Firstly, he needs to be re-elected as a National Council member, and then he would require special dispensation to stay at the helm.

Under changes he advocated to WRU governance, a chairman can only serve two terms of three years and Gareth Davies is coming towards the end of a six-year stint.

For him to stay on as chairman, a change to standing orders would have to be approved by the WRU’s board of directors.

It has also emerged outgoing WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips, who is expected to leave in October, could emerge as a surprise candidate to become the body’s chairman.

Davies, in his letter to clubs, explained why he’s decided to stand “for a third and final term”.

He wrote: “With Martyn Phillips departing in the autumn and the arrival of the new CEO of the WRU, this will coincide with the end of my second term of office.

“I cannot walk away from Welsh rugby at possibly its time of greatest need.

“Voting for me would be a vote for stability, for continuity and for the long-term security of our national game.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the foundations of the world game at their very core and Welsh rugby has felt a destabilising wave of uncertainty.

“We are not out of the woods yet. The ring-fenced money which sustains our community game has come into its own in helping clubs emerge from the other side of the current crisis but we need to maximise commercial revenue in the professional game, so there can be a bigger pot for all to sustain us into the future.”