The Welsh Rugby Union was an “unforgiving, even vindictive” environment to work in for some of its employees, an independent report has found.
Witnesses interviewed as part of Dame Anne Rafferty’s review of the union reported feelings of powerlessness and fear, with the WRU described in the review’s report as an organisation which was “unsure on its feet”.
The review was launched on February 13, following a BBC programme aired in January which reported allegations of racism, sexism, misogyny and homophobia connected to the WRU.
The union workplace “contained elements of bullying and discrimination” and was experienced as “toxic” by some employees, the Dame Rafferty report found.
The union’s leaders were criticised for “allowing problems to develop” and for having “a tendency to manage the problem rather than the underlying issue”, it said.
The organisation’s former chief executive, Steve Phillips, quit within days of the BBC programme airing, with Abi Tierney’s appointment as his permanent successor confirmed in August. She takes up her role in January.
The review makes 36 recommendations in all, covering governance, complaints handling, the union’s approach to inclusion and diversity and investment in the women’s game.
“For anyone who cares about rugby in Wales it is a very difficult read and it is a particularly difficult read if you work at the WRU,” the organisation’s chair Richard Collier-Keywood said in response to the report.
“It is clear that there were many opportunities to avert the serious problems described which were simply not taken.
“We have a lot of work to do to win back the trust of our colleagues our players, the volunteers who are the heart of our community game, and the supporters that buy tickets week in week out.”
Incoming chief executive Tierney said: “The independent review’s report is incredibly humbling and describes issues, actions and attitudes that are hugely regrettable. They should not exist in our, nor any, workplace.
“Of course, as leaders of the organisation, we will all wholeheartedly condemn the attitudes and issues described but we are equally aware that our response needs to be greater than this.
“We will implement all of the recommendations the Independent Review panel has made. My colleagues have committed to doing this and I commit to doing this too.
“But we will also go deeper than this. We will take what the review has found to heart and not only fix the issues identified but also to build a culture and values that we can all be proud of.”
Well over 50 witnesses or groups of witnesses were interviewed for the 134-page review. Interviewees included past and present players (amateur and professional), senior and junior staff and directors, as well people at professional and amateur clubs.
The panel also met a range of external stakeholders, including sponsors and public bodies.
“The work environment had elements of bullying and discrimination and was experienced as toxic by some employees,” the review states.
“They found working at the WRU stressful, with a sense of powerlessness and even fear. A small number of people were widely perceived as challenging, which tipped into bullying in some departments at some times.”
One witness quoted in the review said: “I don’t know who to trust. I feel like I’m not being 100 per cent true to myself because there are things that I’d want to call out, address or bring up but I felt vulnerable because I don’t trust people.”
The report added: “There were two striking and unusual aspects to this review.
“The first was how many people had experienced great stress from their connection with the WRU.
“We were surprised both by the number experiencing stress, but also by the intensity and duration of their experience. People told us of being burnt out, having anxiety, suffering mental health issues and seeing worse behaviour at the WRU than they had experienced themselves.
“Second, an unusual number worried about the consequences were their identity revealed. Some were players concerned about team selection, but the concern from the majority was that the WRU can be unforgiving, even vindictive.”
The report said failings of governance “were a significant cause of the poor culture” found by the review.
“With better governance, problems would have been identified earlier, resolved more quickly and effectively , and reduced overall,” the report stated.
Examples of the discrimination reported included the sharing of gossip that a female staff member had “slept her way” into her job, use of the phrase “hello sugar t***” and the use of slurs about women in same-sex relationships.
Among the recommendations was a call to become more transparent. It was advised that non-disclosure agreements should only be used for an express purpose, not as a matter of course. The review found NDAs had been “overused” at the WRU.
It also advised that when reports are commissioned they should be published, unless there is particular or agreed reason not to do so.
The WRU was urged to align clearly and publicly with inclusion and diversity. “The WRU’s commitment to inclusion and its opposition to abusive behaviour, exclusion and discrimination need to be unambiguous,” the review said.
It also called for further investment in the women’s and girls’ game, with spending in line with other unions, after the review found it was not “properly supported and developed”.
Kolisi delighted with Springboks resilience after Rugby Championship triumph
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi was delighted with the character of his side as they defeated Argentina 48-7 to win the Rugby Championship title on Saturday.
In a role reversal last week, the Pumas denied Kolisi’s team the chance to win the title with a game to spare, pipping them to the post in a thrilling 29-28 win.
But the Springboks channelled the frustration from that near miss into a crushing win against the same opponents, and a first title in the competition since 2019.
Kolisi said: “I am lost for words but it has been a journey and a half, after last week, the way we stood up today says a lot about our team.”
The Springboks captain was also full of praise for his opponents, stating they will only improve in the coming years and that both sides share similarities.
He told Sky Sports: “Argentina are a side you cannot look over, how hard they work and what they did to us last week - they are a proud nation, similar to South Africa, the way they use the ball like we do. They will only get better and better."
Kolisi also reserved special praise for lock and long-time friend Eben Etzebeth, who became the most capped Springbok of all-time.
"I want to say to my best friend Eben that I am so grateful to be on this journey with you," Kolisi said.
"We have been together since we were 18 and you've been a true friend and you have led us in so many ways, the way you play the game.
"I am so proud of you and pleased to be your friend. I can't wait to tell my grandkids I played with Eben Etzebeth. Cheers, my friend, I love you!"
Having brought up that milestone, Etzebeth stated his desire to continue with the national team for as long as possible.
He said: “Rugby is like a religion in our country, to play for the Boks is the ultimate. You cannot go any better than that and I don't want to, it's the best team.
"Hopefully I stay fit and the coaches keep picking me. I will try my best."
Pumas captain Julian Montoya, meanwhile, was upfront about his side’s poor performance.
Montoya said: “Credit to South Africa, we were not good enough, they were the better team today.
“Of course I am pleased with what we have done, but you are only as good as your last game, and we were not good enough today. We have to get better."
'Frustrated' Schmidt eager to improve after disappointing Rugby Championship
Australia coach Joe Schmidt is determined to build on a disappointing Rugby Championship after being "frustrated" by their 33-13 defeat to New Zealand.
The Wallabies made a strong start on Saturday but found themselves trailing at the break after a topsy-turvy first half, and failed to get a single point on the board in the second as the All Blacks stretched their lead.
It was their ninth consecutive loss to New Zealand, who also beat them 31-28 in round five, and they have now won only one of their last six Test matches, losing the other five after making an unbeaten start under Schmidt.
Australia finished last in the four-nation tournament, with Schmidt rueing some of their missed chances after they slumped in the second half.
"I thought we created a few things early but what we had a lot of frustration [about] in that first half was slow ball," said Schmidt on Stan Sport.
"We were digging the ball out from amongst bodies on our side and that was really frustrating because it broke our rhythm.
"We started really strongly, got that try and then missed a couple of chances. They connect so well back off the sideline a couple of times, running back laterally and then connecting up with square runners.
"But just talking to Scott Barrett there, we made them work for it, and we're going to keep working for ourselves and make sure opponents do have to work for anything they get, and we try to get a little bit more."
Australia's tour in November, which includes Tests against England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the nations that contribute players to the Lions, is next up, and Schmidt is looking forward to their next challenge.
"It's a bit like when we come up against the All Blacks, you know it's going to be a really tough tour.
"But if we can keep building through that tour, then I think we put ourselves in a position of potentially being competitive next July [against the Lions]."
Meanwhile, New Zealand's victory was their first in Wellington since June 2018, ending a five-game winless run in the capital.
They made a slow start to the game before rallying to a dominant comeback win, but captain Scott Barrett was just happy to triumph in Wellington.
"Really pleased to reverse the curse," All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett said.
"We didn't start too well, but I'm really pleased with how we finished: some grit in defence, and we held out the Aussies."
South Africa 48-7 Argentina: Rampant Springboks seal Rugby Championship crown
South Africa secured their first Rugby Championship title in five years with a dominant 48-7 victory over Argentina in Nelspruit.
The Springboks dominated from the off, with first-half tries from Aphelele Fassi (two), Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe handing Rassie Erasmus' side a comfortable advantage.
But an ill-disciplined Pumas display proved to be their downfall, with replacement Pablo Matera seeing his yellow card upgraded to a red on 20 minutes for making needless head contact during his challenge on Vincent Koch.
The fixture was then firmly ended as a contest after a competitive first period when full-back Santiago Carreras joined Matera in the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on, reducing the visitors to 13 players while allowing the Springboks to hammer home their advantage.
Malcolm Marx was the first to capitalise, with Du Toit quickly notching his second try of the encounter, before Jesse Kriel sealed a memorable triumph after latching onto the end of Handre Pollard's kick.
Tomas Albornoz scored the Pumas' only try in the contest, with the Springboks avenging last weekend's one-point defeat in Argentina, which briefly delayed their coronation.
Data Debrief: Etzebeth makes history as Springboks seal title
South Africa sealed just a second Rugby Championship triumph in the competition's full format since 2009, while adding to last year's World Cup success.
There was also an historic 128th Springbok appearance for lock Eben Etzebeth, who surpassed Victor Matfield as his county’s most-capped player.
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