Wales great Ieuan Evans has been named as the new chair of the WRU, it has been confirmed.
The former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Llaneli winger takes over in the role from Rob Butcher, who stood down earlier this month after two years in the role. Evans will now become the sixth chair of the WRU since 1983, following in the footsteps of Vernon Pugh QC, Glanmor Griffiths, David Pickering, Gareth Davies and Butcher.
Evans, regarded as one of the best wingers in Welsh rugby history, scored 33 tries for Wales and toured with the British and Irish Lions three times - to Australia in 1989, to New Zealand in 1993 and to South Africa in 1997. After retirement, he has worked in ambassadorial and media roles and received an MBE for services to rugby in 1996.
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“It is a huge honour for me to take up the position of chair of the Welsh Rugby Union and I fully intend to repay member clubs and my fellow directors for the faith they have shown in me,” said Evans, who will also continue in his role as current Lions chair.
"That means taking up the mantle for governance reform set in motion by my predecessors with both hands and driving change for the better in Welsh rugby. We should continue to celebrate what we do best and we have much to be proud of in our community game, where our clubs are the hubs of the cities, towns and villages in which they reside. Just as we should continue to be ambitious and proud of our achievements in the professional game, but we also know we must evolve and progress.
“The Welsh Rugby Union has one central mission to ensure sustainability and success throughout our game and this will be my mantra in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. If we stand still, we go backwards. Only by continued progress and evolution can we carry on punching above our weight on the world stage and commanding that very special place in Welsh hearts throughout the nation.
"We cannot take our standing in Wales and in the global game for granted. We must listen, we must effect change where necessary and we must continue to strive to be so much greater than the sum of our parts. I owe this to the great men who have gone before me as chair, but also to the passionate, learned, articulate and knowledgeable individuals around me. Now is the time to push on, to consolidate all that is good about Welsh rugby and to strive for more.”
WRU chief executive Steve Phillips has welcomed Evans into his new role, saying: “The relationship between CEO and chair is vitally important. Ieuan is a hugely popular and significant figure in the Board room and respected around the world game, as is proven by the positions he already holds on World Rugby and as chair of the Lions. These are exciting times for Welsh rugby and there is much to do and we are delighted to be able to appoint a figurehead of Ieuan’s stature, who knows our game inside out.
“I know he has strong views about governance modernisation alongside the rest of the Board and fully understands our professional game. I know his impact will be immediate in terms of the style and acumen he will bring to the position of chair. I am very much looking forward to working with him as we chart the future for our game together. Finally, I would like to add my gratitude to Rob Butcher for all that he has done to move Welsh rugby forward during his time in the position and we are blessed to be able to retain his services on the WRU Council.”
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