The Welsh Rugby Union's board is facing renewed pressure just months after an extraordinary general meeting, with calls for the entire board to resign.
On Thursday night, influential businesswoman and former Cardiff director Hayley Parsons issued an explosive call for the board to resign en masse. This followed public accusations from both the Ospreys and Scarlets, who demanded the WRU show the evidence used to decide west Wales should have only one team going forward.
The board has been reduced from a dozen members to 11, following the departure of chair Richard Collier-Keywood, with a search ongoing for his replacement.
Who sits on the WRU board?
John Manders stepped into a temporary vice-chair role after Collier-Keywood's exit and has been chairing board meetings. The former South Wales Police sergeant and Wales youth player had been community game board chair since November 2022, having replaced former WRU chair Rob Butcher on the main board. Manders, who played for Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd, was elected as a national council member in July 2020 and re-elected last autumn. He has said: "We have already begun to put the support structures in place to develop the related player pathways, to create the best environments for our senior players, to provide the right financial support and to develop the facilities around them."
Abi Tierney, the WRU CEO, previously believed Welsh rugby could sustain four professional clubs but has since moved to the stance that three is the correct number. The former director-general of HM Passport Office and UK Visas and Immigration finds herself at the helm during Welsh rugby's most turbulent time in two decades.
Alison Thorne is the Senior Independent Director (SID), having enjoyed a global career in retail. She is also chair of the National Dance Company Wales and Barcud Housing Association, and previously chaired equality charity Chwarae Teg. Her role includes holding the chair to account.
Independent and council members
Marianne Økland, a Norwegian businesswoman, was appointed interim chair of the Professional Rugby Board in March following Malcolm Wall's retirement. She joined the PRB in 2020 and is serving a second three-year term ending this summer. Økland confirmed last month that Cardiff and Dragons would get the central and east licences should they want them, saying: "Assuming that Cardiff Rugby and Dragons RFC want to sign up to the proposed licensing terms, there is now certainty that they will be offered the capital and east licences respectively."
Jamie Roberts, the former Wales and Lions centre, is the highest-profile name on the board as an independent non-executive director. He won 94 caps for Wales and toured with the British and Irish Lions twice. Earlier this year, he called on Welsh rugby to be "brave", adding that any rational person would "come to the same decision" if shown the current data.
Andrew Williams is perhaps the standout candidate to replace Collier-Keywood as chair. He previously served as CEO of Halma PLC for 18 years, helping them grow from £500m to £10bn, and was a non-executive director at Cardiff Rugby.
Amanda Bennett, a former Wales international who featured in the first Women's World Cup in 1991, has experience of the women's game at community and professional levels. She worked for UK Sport for a decade and established FairPlay Enterprises Ltd.
Jennifer Mathias has been on the board as an INED since October 2023. She previously worked as group chief financial officer at Rathbones Group and Lloyds TSB Group. In 2013, she was named in the PAM top 40 under 40.
Claire Donovan, a 75-cap Wales international who played in two World Cups, was elected as a national council member in September 2021. She is an experienced board director and technical director in fresh produce companies.
Colin Wilks has been on the board since November 2021 as a district council member for District A and chairs the WRU Competitions Management Committee. He is a former chair of Risca RFC and was a director at the Dragons for two years.
Chris Jones, a founding member of Newcastle Emlyn RFC and its secretary since 1977, has been on the board since 2018 representing District G. He has chaired the Intermediate Group and the Schools Council, and was a PE teacher for 35 years until retirement.
