2025 must finally be the year Welsh rugby changes

If you are having a good day you would be ill-advised to type the words "Welsh rugby" into any online search engine. But if you decide to do just that be prepared for an avalanche of negativity.

No doubt Warren Gatland's future and a winless 2024 for the the men's national side will be high up the results page. Not far behind you'll find articles related to the poor treatment of the women's national team. I think it's safe to say 2024, like 2023, is not a year which has painted Welsh rugby in a positive light and this must change in 2025 to avoid irreparable reputational damage.

The WRU’s independent reviews have read like exposés uncovering its failings on a grand scale and it's almost as if every day without some sort of scandal breaking is a success. Even the most one-eyed WRU employee would surely admit the optics are terrible and there aren't many people who are currently proud to be associated with Welsh rugby at this moment in time. The WRU have tried to put a positive spin on all the negativity but 2025 must be the year where they look in the mirror and make the necessary changes.

Twelve losses on the bounce for the men’s senior team and it's almost as if it's business as usual, with no real consequence for the decisions that brought us here.

The mishandling of the women's game has been extremely disappointing to say the least. Contract negotiations, which should have been a straightforward affair, descended into a farce, complete with public apologies and the resignation of head coach Ioan Cunningham, while executive director of rugby Nigel Walker has also left his post. At one point, the WRU even threatened to withdraw its women’s team from the World Cup over a pay dispute. This is not so much neglect as active self-sabotage.