A PROMINENT Welsh entrepreneur has urged a leadership shake-up at the top of the Welsh Rugby Union, saying the organisation has mishandled plans to reshape the professional game and has lost the confidence of many across the sport.

Hayley Parsons, founder of the comparison website GoCompare and a former board member at Cardiff Rugby, has written to clubs around Wales calling for urgent change and for current chair Richard Collier-Keywood to step down.

She described the governing body’s approach to negotiations over the future of the regions as secretive, poorly communicated and damaging to trust within Welsh rugby.

‘Game in crisis’

Parsons said the sport was facing one of the most turbulent periods in its modern history.

In her view, decisions that could reduce the number of professional sides from four to three are being pushed through without proper engagement with clubs, players and supporters.

She warned that Welsh rugby risks further division if the process continues in the same way.

“You cannot expect people to buy into change when they feel shut out of it,” she said, adding that respect for the people who run and play the game at every level should come first.

Three-region plan

The WRU has proposed cutting one of the current professional regions as part of a financial and structural overhaul.

Under the plans, Wales would move to three top-tier sides – broadly based in the east, Cardiff and the west – with the union arguing that resources and playing talent are currently spread too thinly to compete effectively.

Uncertainty remains over the future of the Ospreys, whose ownership group has been linked with taking over Cardiff. If that happens, fears have grown locally that the Neath-Swansea-Bridgend region could disappear.

That would leave Dragons RFC, Scarlets and Cardiff as the surviving professional sides.

The issue has sparked strong reaction beyond the boardroom, with political leaders and grassroots clubs voicing concern about the impact on communities and pathways for young players.

Leadership questioned

While Parsons praised chief executive Abi Tierney for her efforts, she argued that the overall direction and tone of the process had been wrong.

She also raised concerns that neither of the two most senior figures at the WRU comes from a rugby background, suggesting that deeper understanding of the sport is essential when making decisions that shape its future.

Parsons accepted that moving to three regions might ultimately prove necessary, but said the route taken to reach that conclusion had alienated too many people.

WRU response

In response, the WRU said difficult decisions were unavoidable if the game was to become financially sustainable.

A spokesperson said the board’s focus was on protecting the long-term future of both grassroots and professional rugby, adding that investment in youth pathways and player development remained central to its strategy.

The union insists extensive consultation has taken place and says reform is needed to ensure Welsh rugby can live within its means while remaining competitive.

Growing pressure

Calls for change are gathering pace. Some clubs are exploring whether to force an extraordinary general meeting once the Six Nations concludes, while local authority leaders have also questioned the direction being taken.

For many supporters, the debate now goes beyond balance sheets and structures. It is about identity, heritage and whether decisions are being made with communities — rather than behind closed doors.

As one of Wales’ most recognisable business figures, Parsons’ intervention adds further weight to the growing pressure on the WRU hierarchy at a pivotal moment for the national game.

WALES international Christ Tshiunza could be on the move this summer after his contract with Exeter Chiefs runs out, with reports linking him to a return home to join Cardiff Rugby.

The 24-year-old forward has yet to agree fresh terms with the Premiership side, and Exeter’s director of rugby Rob Baxter admits the rumours may have substance.

Speaking this week, Baxter confirmed Tshiunza remains unsigned beyond the end of the current campaign.

“He is off contract at the end of this season with us and we haven’t re-signed him currently, so those rumours could be entirely true, but I couldn’t tell if they are,” he said.

Tshiunza joined Exeter as a teenager and quickly rose through the ranks, earning a surprise call-up to the Wales national rugby union team squad for the 2021 autumn internationals.

He has since won 13 caps for his country and featured in Wales’ most recent Rugby World Cup campaign, but injuries have repeatedly disrupted his progress.

This season has been particularly frustrating. The versatile forward has made just one Premiership Rugby appearance, suffering a broken foot on the opening day draw at Northampton in September.

EQP rules a factor

Baxter also pointed to squad balance issues that could affect Tshiunza’s prospects at Sandy Park.

As a non-English Qualified Player (EQP), he counts towards the league’s foreign-player quota, with clubs limited to an average of eight non-EQP players per matchday squad.

“Our EQP numbers are quite tight,” Baxter explained. “Making sure we have that balance in the squad is very important for us.

“When you look particularly around our forwards and some of the signings we’ve made, EQP becomes quite an important factor.”

That squeeze could make a move back to Wales attractive, with Cardiff understood to be monitoring the situation ahead of next season’s United Rugby Championship campaign.

Homecoming possibility

For Welsh supporters, a return would bring an experienced international back into the domestic game at a time when the regions are looking to rebuild depth and retain national talent.

Still only 24, Tshiunza has time on his side to rediscover the form that made him one of Welsh rugby’s most exciting young prospects.

With his Exeter deal ticking down, a decision on his future is expected in the coming months.

AN AGREEMENT, securing the Ironman international triathlon competition in Pembrokeshire for up to the next five years has been backed despite concerns it can be a “massive pain” for some residents.

Since 2011, the annual Ironman event, based in Tenby, sees road closures and parking restrictions to many parts of the south of the county as thousands of athletes compete in a gruelling 2.3-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run.

The event has grown into a major fixture on the international triathlon calendar, attracting athletes and spectators from across the world and, enhancing Pembrokeshire’s profile.

A report for members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, presented by Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett at its February 9 meeting said: “The current Host Agreement with Ironman Wales for the event in Pembrokeshire is due to expire this year, with the 2026 event being the final event delivered under the existing arrangements.

“Ironman has submitted Heads of Terms proposing a new Host Agreement covering the period 2027 to 2029, including an option for a two-year extension subject to mutual agreement. Members are being asked to consider whether the Authority should enter into a new Host Agreement with Ironman for the period outlined above.”

It said a 2025 economic impact assessment, supplied by Ironman indicated athlete, spectator, supplier and Ironman expenditure for the event totalling just over £7.3million, the event involving  3,000 Ironman athletes and 2,000 Ironkids participants.

“Although there is no independent data, it is recognised and noted that the event does attract additional athlete training days and visits outside the event weekend, resulting in additional spend and economic benefit to the county, this would be additional above the economic impact assessment data, supporting the extension of tourism into the ‘shoulder’ season in September,” the report added.

Speaking at the meeting, Cabinet member Cllr Tessa Hodgson, whose Lamphey ward is included in the cycling part of the triathlon, said she had difficulty supporting the proposal, saying: “These events cause a huge amount of disruption in mine and other wards in the south of the county.”

She said there was a need to strike a balance between those who viewed the events as “a massive pain in the arse” and those benefitting, with small businesses that had to close for the duration as they were cut off from customers.

“The event is fantastic and does showcase the county but I’m looking for more balance and empathy for those affected; it’s about striking a balance and I’m not sure the balance is right at the moment.”

The report for members concluded: “Having reviewed the event provision against feedback received and overall benefits received to the county, it is recommended that the new Host agreement should be entered into and PCC continue to support the provision of Ironman Wales Pembrokeshire.”

Members supported the recommendation to enter into the Host Agreement for 2027-2029, with the option to extend for a further two years for 2030-2031, with seven members in favour and two against.