The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) are holding an emergency general meeting (EGM) this Monday evening, with key votes set to be held on the future of the Welsh sport.

It is not the first time the WRU have faced an EGM in its time, with these meetings called in 2014, 2020, and 2023.

This time, the governance of the Welsh rugby is on the agenda, with the Central Glamorgan Rugby Union calling for a vote of no confidence in the Chairs of the WRU and Professional Rugby Board (PRB), as well as governance changes which included how the four council WRU members – who sit on the governing body’s board – are elected.

Despite these potentially seismic changes, nothing is likely to be decided on, with WRU Chair Richard Collier-Keywood announcing that he is set to step down in the summer, while PRB chief Malcolm Wall has also already stepped down in March.

What is set to be voted on?

Central Glamorgan had proposed three motions which included a vote of no-confidence in Collier-Keywood and Wall, however, the district are now proposing to withdraw the motions stating there is no requirement for an EGM.

With Collier-Keywood and Wall departing, the CGRU released a statement informing their clubs that they feel there is now no need for an EGM and they will be withdrawing the three motions.

The letter stated: “With the exits of the WRU chairman and the chairman of the PRB along with future engagement with the WRU board on our governance proposals we have achieved the key objectives of our campaign and feel there is no requirement now for an EGM.

“In light of this, we are engaging with the WRU board to discuss how best to manage the EGM process, but it is likely this will now not be required in its current form as we are writing to the WRU legal team to inform them we are withdrawing all three motions.”

What happens now?

After a brief period where it seemed liked there would be no EGM at all, the Welsh Rugby Union did confirm that the meeting would take place on the original date set of Monday 13th April.

The WRU rejected calls for the meeting to be called off, saying legal obligations dictate it must go ahead.

The meeting, held at the Principality Stadium, will see representatives of all Welsh clubs invited to attend either in person or virtually. It has not been confirmed which representatives from the Union will be there.

The WRU’s decision to cut a region is not directly on the table, while Central Glamorgan have suggested some recommendations for discussion:

• Pause in plans to restructure the professional game.
• Full review of the WRU’s finances and organisational structure to identify where money can be saved.
• A rugby steering group to be set up within three weeks comprising of people from the professional, SRC and community game along with business sector.
• A central national academy to be set up within three months to be totally responsible for the identification and development of talent for male and female players.

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