The Welsh Rugby Union have appointed former international Nadine Griffiths as the new director of women’s rugby.

Griffiths won 44 caps for Wales during her playing career, and replaces Belinda Moore in a role she describes as “more like a calling than a job.”

Moore left the WRU to join the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as The Hundred’s growth director.

Griffiths played for Wales at the 1998 World Cup, and was a part of the coaching team during a Wales tour of South Africa in 2013, going on to become one of the first female level 3 coaches in the UK after hanging up her boots.

She has also worked for the WRU as a rugby development officer in the 2000s, having has grown participation, strengthened pathways and left lasting positive impact wherever she has gone.

“I am passionately Welsh,” Griffiths says. “I have a great understanding of the opportunities and the barriers across the women’s and girl’s game and the challenges our clubs face.

“That insight matters, because growth won’t come from copying others, it will come from building something that reflects Wales, its communities and its identity.

“I feel like I have come full circle from the young girl in Pencoed who watched the 1991 Rugby World Cup and dared to dream of pulling on that red jersey, to now being responsible for inspiring the next generation to do exactly the same.

“This is a hugely exciting time. Women’s sport is on a remarkable growth trajectory in Wales and globally.”

Griffiths joins from Cardiff Rugby, where she has been for 23 years as Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation director.

“With the inaugural women’s British & Irish Lions tour in 2027, the whole world is about to sit up and take notice of the women’s game once again,” Griffiths adds.

“We will have Welsh representation on that Lions tour. We will make trailblazers of the players already leading the way and we will create a new generation of female sporting heroes to inspire our children and grow the game across this great, rugby-loving nation.

“Our aim is to take the nation with us on this incredible journey of growth and inspiration for women’s sport, ymlaen.”

Cardiff say that Griffiths has left the Community Foundation in an “incredibly strong position.” having engaged more than 120,000 people a year throughout the region.

Cardiff Rugby managing director, Jamie Muir said: “Nadine has been a huge part of Cardiff Rugby for more than 20 years, and on a personal level it’s been a privilege to work alongside her for the past 11 years.

“She should be incredibly proud of everything she’s achieved through the Foundation, consistently living our values of community, inclusion and opportunity, and making a genuine difference across the Cardiff Rugby region.

“This move to lead women’s rugby at the WRU feels like a natural next step for someone with such passion and experience in the women’s game, which I know first drew her into sport.

“While she’ll be a big loss to us day to day, we wish her every success in this new role and look forward to welcoming her and her family back to Cardiff Arms Park very soon.”

Griffiths joins the WRU executive team and will officially take up her position on June 1st.

WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said: “Nadine shone through in a competitive field of candidates and is uniquely placed.

“She has played and coached at the elite end of the game, but has also dedicated her career to the women’s and girl’s pathway in Cardiff and to developing community rugby. We are thrilled to welcome her back into the WRU family.”

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