Welsh Rugby Union Admits Failures in Women’s Team Negotiations

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) plans to apologize for its mishandling of contract negotiations with the senior women’s team but denies new allegations of sexism. WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and CEO Abi Tierney acknowledged serious flaws in the negotiation process and admitted that the organization should formally apologize to the players. A BBC review of an email revealed that players faced threats of exclusion from WXV2 and next year’s World Cup as negotiations stalled.

On August 2, the WRU issued a “final offer” ultimatum, giving players a three-hour deadline to sign or risk the cancellation of matches against New Zealand, Scotland and Australia. New allegations of sexism and inequality emerged less than a year after an independent review criticized the WRU’s culture, following a BBC Wales investigation.  Collier-Keywood stated, “This is not a good day for us… we should have done better.”

The WRU has expedited the release of the review’s findings, which identified several issues, including the organization’s failure to consider the rapid growth of women’s rugby, the players’ inexperience in negotiations, and a lack of clear communication. Independent board members Alison Thorne and Claire Donovan confirmed that while they observed poor behavior during negotiations, they did not identify sexism as a motivating factor.

Donovan emphasized that past experiences of sexism in rugby did not emerge in this situation. Despite the WRU announcing a £6 million increase in funding for girls’ and women’s rugby, former Wales player Jess Kavanagh criticized the organization for what she called “blackmail” over contract signings, insisting that genuine change is necessary.

Wales’ performance has declined, finishing at the bottom of the 2024 Women’s Six Nations which Collier-Keywood believes stemmed from the stress around contracts. The Welsh government has expressed concern over these latest developments and plans to meet with the WRU urgently.