In the wake of the allegations of sexism and misogyny within the Welsh Rugby Union the governing body has announced drastic measures to modernise the governance of the game in Wales.
These proposals will go before the WRU clubs at arguably one of the most important and extraordinary general meetings in its history in late March.
But what exactly are the proposals, what do they mean for the wider game in Wales and what needs to happen for them to become a reality?
READ MORE: WRU to be completely overhauled as full radical plans clubs will now vote on revealed
Wales Online takes an in-depth look.
What's on the table
What the WRU are proposing would be the most radical change to its governance structure in decades.
Among the important changes the WRU wants to implement is the creation of an independent chair, as well as measures that would make it compulsory to include five women representatives on the main 12-person board.
Crucially, it is proposing the positions of chief executive or the independent chair be filled by a woman.
The full composition of the Board would be as follows:
- CEO and Independent Chair – at least one of these individuals will be a woman
- Four Independent Non Exec Directors – at least two will be women
- Chair of the PRB (independent on appointment) and elected or appointed or selected representative for the women’s game – at least one of whom will be a woman
- Four National and district council members including Chair of the CGB – at least one of whom will be a woman
How will having more non-executive directors benefit the game?
If you follow Welsh rugby closely you have probably become accustomed to people arguing the need to split the professional and community game.
While the community game is vitally important to the success of rugby in Wales, the argument from some is that they hold too much power and are not qualified to have a say on how a £100million business is run.
Even though we have the PRB, it is subordinate to the main WRU board, which has a community club majority and it has proven too difficult to push through proposals that would potentially benefit the professional game.
The WRU aren't proposing a split between both sections of the game here but it would bring more balance and diversity.
Presently there are three INED's on the board - Henry Engleheart, Catherine Read, and Malcolm Wall - but their voices can be drowned out by the district representatives.
Increasing the number of INED's to five would improve the skillset on the board, and the hope is they would provide a wider and more well-informed view on Welsh rugby.
For example, instead of a simplistic question such as 'why don't we give more money to the regions?' they'd ask 'what is the long-term strategy, what is our priority, and how will the decision to issue them with more cash benefit the game on the whole?'
In most businesses, a chair would try to avoid having to take votes from each member, but if this vote goes through the INED's would dominate the discussion.
If you look at the CVs of the current INED's such as Malcolm Wall, who has been involved at the cutting edge of some world renowned companies, then this surely can only be a good thing.
The INED's will ensure the executive have their feet held to the fire for performance in the key areas of business building, culture, financial performance, operational execution and long term strategy
Don't underestimate how significant a step forward this would be.
How important is it to have more women on the board?
Vitally important and it's absolutely the right thing to do.
The allegations of a "toxic culture" have been well documented in recent times and it's about time there were more women in key decision-making positions within the WRU.
And no this isn't a box ticking exercise. Of course they must have all the right credentials before being appointed, but including more females will add a new dynamic that has been missing.
Just take a look at the current WRU board and the club representatives at the annual general meetings. There's hardly much diversity there.
Having people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and genders allows you to look at important topics from different points of view so that a truly informed decision which benefits the whole of Welsh rugby can be made.
The women's game took a giant leap forward last year with the introduction of professional contracts but there is a feeling far more needs to be done.
Any potential sexism needs to be purged at once and there needs to be females in key decision-making positions to aid efforts to improve the overall culture of the WRU.
The more opinions and perspectives from different people, the more chance the WRU have of being successful as a whole.
Would this weaken the position of the community game?
They wouldn't dominate the WRU board as much as they do but they certainly wouldn't lose influence either.
A smart observer would come to the conclusion that these mooted governance changes would also benefit the community game.
As one well-respected figure in the Welsh game told this journalist: "If we get the professional game right and make the relevant changes to the governance of the WRU then in the long-run the pro game would give cash back down into the community game."
That's something perhaps the community clubs might bear in mind before voting. This isn't about taking power away from the clubs, it's about improving Welsh rugby on the whole, and that includes them.
Removing the self-interest which has been entrenched in Welsh rugby for far too long and introducing a board with a broader and more inclusive skillset surely increases the chances of making the right decisions for all.
There would still be four national and district representatives on the board who would safeguard the interests of the community game while having more INED's also benefits them greatly.
Also, one vitally important thing to remember is the £10.8 million which is ringfenced to the community game is distributed by the council.
The district representatives will remain on the council meaning they retain their power and don't lose influence.
So what next and how likely is this to pass?
Well the EGM is set for Sunday, March 26, where each member club will vote on the proposals.
How likely is it to pass? That's hard to say.
Only four months ago, the WRU failed to get through a motion that would have created the position of independent chair.
65.4% of clubs voted in favour. But in order for a motion like this to pass it needs a 75% majority. That's the biggest hurdle here.
The majority of clubs may well vote in favour, but 75% is a big number to reach. Much will depend on current WRU chair Ieuan Evans and how effectively he gets the message across.
He will need to persuade clubs that the new governance model will benefit them and that their voices will still be heard.
It is also worth noting the district representatives have already agreed to these proposals.
Given the scrutiny the WRU are under from the Welsh Government, failure to modernise the governance will be met with outrage, so there is pressure on the clubs to vote this through.
Whether they actually do, only time will tell.
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