Tierney has 'fire' to help Welsh rugby transform

BBC News

5 days ago

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chief executive Abi Tierney says she still has "fire in her belly" in the role and wants to help the Wales men's team return to the elite of world rugby.Steve Tandy has been installed as the new men's head coach as he takes over a side who suffered a record 18 Test defeats before a first win in 21 months when they beat Japan earlier this month.Wales have slipped to 12th in the world rankings after Tierney launched a new strategy in June 2024 where the aim was for Wales to be in the top five in 2029."It was always an aspiration but it's getting harder to achieve that since we published that," said Tierney."It doesn't mean we're giving up on it. I've got fire in my belly to get up there."
It has been a tumultuous time in Welsh rugby since Tierney took over in January in 2024 but she says she will not walk away. "I have the fire to stay in the role, absolutely," said Tierney."I'm not considering doing anything different. I don't give up easily."Tierney is currently in Australia where she is watching the British and Irish Lions tour and attending World Rugby meetings. When asked if suggestions that she would leave her post upon her return had any truth in them, she replied: "Categorically false."
Will there be a cut in sides?
It remains a tough time with the WRU considering halving the number of regions in Wales as part of a new domestic structure by the 2027-28 season.The governing body says it is entering a formal consultation and could reduce the number of regions from four to three or even two, with a final decision expected by October."So one of the options is to keep four but fund them differently," said Tierney."Another option is to go to three or you could fund them differently again. You could have a three on equal funding or a two plus one. "Other option is to go to two. From a performance level you can make them work. I think they've all got trade-offs."Mergers between sides have been mooted."Everything is on the table," said Tierney."In the formal consultation will be a direction of travel in terms of number of clubs and then conversations begin in earnest to see how clubs can make that work."The season 2027-28 has been highlighted for the time for change with Tierney stating the early date of 2026-27 could only achieved if there an agreement was in place.Tierney says they have spoken to the United Rugby Championship (URC) about reducing teams."They have been as supportive as they can be and understand we need to do something," said Tierney. "Their preference is we stay with four teams but understand we may need to do something so it is about working with them."Tierney also stated the WRU's focus was on the URC rather than trying to go into an Anglo-Welsh league.
'Cardiff situation made us pause'
Earlier this year, the WRU had previously stated there was enough money to fund four professional sides equally.Tierney says things changed when Cardiff went into administration in April and was taken over by the WRU.The current professional rugby agreement (PRA) that underpins the Welsh professional game runs out in June 2027 and was due to be superseded by a new five-year deal.The deal has been agreed by Cardiff and Dragons, but has still not been signed by either Ospreys or Scarlets, who say "key issues" have not been resolved."When Cardiff happened, that showed just how challenged the system is," said Tierney."It made us all pause, including the regions. That meant we weren't able to give sufficient reassurances to two of the regions for them to sign. "So when you don't have a deal, it's time to think about what to do different."Tierney say a drop in finances has affected their previous forecasts."When we modelled the original offer, it was based on the numbers at the time but numbers have gone the wrong way since then," said Tierney."We should have done a tougher downside but the headwinds that have affected rugby globally since were not reflected, especially competition income and media rights, while costs have also gone up with national insurance, player wages and costs of running a stadium."We've seen revenue going down and costs going up. It means the gap to make up is larger for the regions. There's only so far the money goes."Ospreys and Scarlets are considering legal action against the WRU about their handling of the Cardiff situation."That's always a concern," said Tierney."They are all still talking to me about what's in best interest for Welsh rugby and want to find a way forward."I remain optimistic we will find a way through this and can avoid legal action because that's the worst thing that can happen for Welsh rugby with delays and costs involved."
Committed to providing certainty
Tierney accepts the current uncertainty in Welsh rugby is troubling."It is a huge burden when you hear about players worried about their jobs," said Tierney."It is not just the players, but all employees with the four clubs and the WRU because we are looking at changing the whole system."This is not just about the number of clubs but it's about how we transform professional rugby and our pathways."You take that seriously and we have committed to honouring players contracts. "Hopefully people will see we behaved with integrity around the Cardiff situation."We will continue to try and make sure people get certainty as quickly as possible, treat people with respect and are as transparent and open as we can."Tierney says change is required."We need to now put something in place that might be hard but put us on a sustainable footing going forward and won't require future change," said Tierney."We all say we need to do something different and the message from clubs and players is to do that quickly and remove uncertainty."