Welsh Rugby Union’s chief executive Roger Lewis to leave after World Cup

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/24/wru-chief-executive-roger-lewis-stand-down-world-cup

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Roger Lewis, the Welsh Rugby Union’s chief executive since 2006, is to step down after this autumn’s World Cup at which Wales will host group matches and two quarter-finals.

The 60-year-old Lewis has become one of the most controversial figures in the sport since being appointed as the group chief executive of the WRU and the Millennium Stadium, succeeding in significantly reducing the governing body’s debt and overseeing the appointment of Warren Gatland as the head coach, which has led to Wales’ most consistently successful period since the 1970s.

He fell out with the country’s four regions, who last year refused to sign a continuation of a participation agreement that had reached its halfway stage, and break-point, unless terms were renegotiated. It led to a long and acrimonious stand-off and the departure of leading internationals to clubs in England and France before a deal was signed.

Lewis was a significant player in the negotiations over the future of the European Cup, holding out for the retention of the organisers of the old Heineken Cup, European Rugby Cup Ltd, against the attempts of the English and French clubs, backed by the regions, to give participating teams control of the tournament and a new governing body. He also antagonised the major southern hemisphere unions by demanding that they share the money they made from Lions tours with the four home unions.

“The time is right for me to step down after a remarkable period at the helm of the WRU,” said Lewis. “It has been a fantastic and memorable journey both on and off the pitch and I would like to thank the board for their backing during some challenging times. By announcing this in advance, we are ensuring that the transition can be well managed and in the interests of Welsh rugby.”

The board survived an attempt to unseat it last year when David Moffett, a former WRU chief executive, returned from his home in New Zealand to organise a special general meeting of the clubs and call for a vote of no confidence in the elected directors of the board.

He failed but victory for Lewis, who as an employee of the union would have been protected from a vote of no confidence, was short-lived and had been soured anyway by a warning from the outgoing board member Gerald Davies that Wales’ reputation in the world game needed repairing.

Later in the year the clubs voted out David Pickering, who had been the WRU’s chairman throughout Lewis’s tenure and a close ally, as national representative on the board. Gareth Davies, the former Wales outside-half who was then chief executive of one of the regions, Newport Gwent Dragons, was elected and at the first meeting of the new board was voted in as chairman having come armed with a mandate for reconciliation. Lewis’s days were numbered.

“We recognise the massive contribution Roger has made to the growth of Welsh rugby both on the field and off the field and respect his decision to step down after the World Cup,” said Davies, whose background in business and rugby make him a potential successor to Lewis. “This allows us time to find a successor and to build upon his success.”

Lewis’s final day in office will be 31 October, when the World Cup final will be played at Twickenham.