Rugby regions endorse letter which calls on wru chief and board to resign

A LETTER sent to WRU chairman Ieuan Evans demanding the immediate removal of chief executive Steve Phillips and the entire board has been endorsed by all four Welsh regions.

Cardiff Rugby non-executive director Hayley Parsons OBE has written the damning letter, which has been circulated to all four regions and endorsed by them. Parsons has called for “immediate and decisive action” and “to make a positive change for the future”.

It comes after a BBC programme had interviewed a number of former WRU employees who made some harrowing allegations.

Allegations of a “toxic culture” within the organisation were raised after it was accused of bullying and sexism in what has been a chaotic and highly damaging week for the WRU.

Now, in an open letter addressed personally to chairman Ieuan Evans, Parsons, the founder of GoCompare, has called on the board to step down en masse.

Phillips is under severe pressure following claims the union has a “toxic culture” of sexism and misogyny, with one former employee even alleging a senior member of the WRU said he wanted to “rape her”.

Evans has backed Phillips but all four regions now want him to step down. In a letter to Evans, Parsons insists the WRU board are not fit for purpose.

“In my role at Cardiff Rugby, I constantly witness and have to deal with the fallout of incompetence at the

Welsh Rugby Union,” wrote Parsons.

“I believe the board, in its current state, does not possess the expertise and experience to run the WRU, which is essentially a £100m company.

“As a group of individuals, they are not fit for purpose, and the future of Welsh rugby requires people with the capability and experience to turn this urgent and dire situation around.”

Parsons went on to state there were talented individuals who would be willing to lend their help to Welsh rugby. She added: “I am pleading with you to make the right decision for the

WRU as a business and for rugby as our national sport.

“You are surrounded by amazing business professionals who already invest their time and energy into Welsh rugby. We need a clear overarching business strategy the whole of Welsh rugby and its regions can work towards.

“This week’s crisis isn’t new, it’s just brought the underlying issues that we have experienced for years to the fore.”

Evans faced the media earlier this week to apologise, revealing he was “devastated” by the accusations levelled at the organisation.