Warburton calling for ‘seismic’ changes to drag Welsh rugby out of the Stone Ages

SAM Warburton has called for ‘seismic change’ to bring Welsh rugby out of the Stone Ages.

The ex-Wales captain believes the game in Wales needs the biggest reform in its history in order to function properly once again and avoid anymore embarrassments like the maiden loss to Georgia.

In his column for the Times, Warburton took aim at the many problems in Welsh rugby that have led to perhaps its most humiliating defeat.

In particular, he called for substantial and real change in the governance structure, while he also questioned what could be done with the player pathway system and dysfunctional relationship between the Welsh Rugby Union and the four regions.

Saying that the system isn’t working and that a situation like the “unacceptable defeat by Georgia” had been brewing for some time on and off the field, he added that the “whole thing needs to be wiped clean and a fresh start made”. However, he tempered that by saying he didn’t expect that to happen, predicting he’d still be saying the same thing in a year’s time.

The former Wales skipper expressed his concerns with a number of facets of the Welsh game. In particular, the governance structure that is “stuck in the Stone Age” is the biggest worry, with Warburton emphasising that the amateur game has too much of a say.

“Of the 12 directors on the Welsh Rugby Union’s board, there are eight community members,” he wrote. “That is like having eight people on the board of a company that are contributing to just one part of the business.

“It’s just way too many. There should be one community member on that board.

“The community game is hugely important, of course it is, and most of the people involved are well-intentioned, but it should not have eight representatives on the board of a company with a turnover of £100 million. It is farcical.

“It is a governance structure that is stuck in the Stone Age. Unless that changes, very little else will change.”

He added that he believed there are top business people who would still be interested in helping Welsh rugby but are put off by the current structure and the idea that real change will never be achieved.

He said: “Do those people on the board at the moment know how an elite academy should be run? Do they know what an elite performance environment looks like at men’s, women’s sevens or under-20s levels? Do they know what level of expertise is required in staffing the regions?”

The current impasse between the four professional sides and the WRU was also referenced by Warburton, with the two-time Lions captain noting there is little trust on either side after the regions were saddled with a £20m debt during the Covid pandemic.

He said: “It is such a mess. There is little trust on either side.

“I don’t think the WRU trust the regions with their money and then the regions don’t want to be owned by the WRU because their governance is so old fashioned and they do not trust their decisions.”

Warburton also claimed that the “player pathway has been failing for some time now”, citing how Josh Adams went to Worcester to make it in professional rugby, while current squad members like Louis ReesZammit, Christ Tshiunza and Dafydd Jenkins are all plying their trade in England.

He questioned whether more could be done to keep players in Wales, referring back to when he came through the Cardiff Blues academy and was sold on the plan they had in place for him to mould him into the next Richie McCaw.

“It was the level of detail that made me feel valued and that was the reason why I wanted to stay in Wales. I’m not sure if that is happening now.”

He said that he feared for Wales in the next five years as they are “simply not going to have the pool of players to compete, especially once the core of experienced players retire”.

He noted there was no comparison to the depth that the likes of France, Ireland and England boast, pointing to how an inexperienced front five was dominated by Georgia’s scrum in the latter stages of Saturday’s match.

Warburton also added context to his comments made on Amazon Prime’s coverage about whether there was some “deeper, underlying issues”.

“What I meant there was that there could be a few reasons why the performance was so lacklustre,” he said.

“Maybe you have got the training week wrong and have worked the players too hard.

“That certainly happened when I was playing, and we were very flat. That is the coaches’ mistake.

“Another reason might be getting the tactics totally wrong. That lies with both players and coaches.

“Or it might just be lack of technical ability and that lack of depth in the squad that I have mentioned or, lastly, of course, it could be lack of motivation.

“And that does happen. I thought we saw it in the Gallagher Premiership last season when Bath’s players seemed to be making a statement that they wanted change.

“It may not necessarily be the coach they want out, it could be anyone in the environment.

“But when I saw that Wales performance on Saturday there was obviously something that was badly wrong. Only those in the camp will know what. I can only guess.”

He also added that he felt sorry for coaches Jonathan Humphreys, Gethin Jenkins and Neil Jenkins, having seen all three coach during his time in Wayne Pivac’s ticket.

Warburton finished by saying he expects Wales to do well against Australia on Saturday, as this team often responds when challenged.

But he added that isn’t a mentality you want to live by.

He added: “There needs to be a very honest review now. If I was in charge at the WRU – and believe me, I am not touting for a job – I would be going around to speak to everyone in the Wales set up and at the regions.

“I would be saying: ‘Anonymously, please tell me everything that is good and bad.’

“It needs to be brutal across the board to find the answers.”