Influential WRU board member Henry Engelhardt has criticised the bombshell BBC investigation that saw the Union face allegations of sexism, misogyny and overseeing a toxic culture.
Engelhardt says he has "learned some things that are not complimentary about the BBC", accusing the corporation of "sensationalism" and "not listening". BBC Wales says it stands by the accuracy of its investigation.
The businessman claimed the programme makers "didn't want to know" after being talked through various allegations by the WRU, telling the Walescast podcast: "I'm not saying there aren't problems at the WRU but I don't think they were presented accurately in this programme. So there's two faults here. There's a fault that was being addressed by the WRU and there was a fault by the BBC. They aren't mutually exclusive.
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"They came to us a couple of weeks before and we talked them through what had happened. There are things in there, the way it was presented, that are not accurate, that made it seem much worse than what may or may not have even happened.
"It taught me something about journalism and sensationalism and lack of accountability."
Among the allegations made in the programme, Charlotte Wathan, the former general manager for women's rugby at the WRU, alleged a male colleague joked he wanted to “rape” her. Ms Wathan claimed a senior manager witnessed the comment but said nothing. As part of her claims, it was also alleged the man was not interviewed as part of an investigation alongside other key witnesses.
The WRU said it had previously hired an external legal expert to probe Ms Wathan's grievance and that it found the claims to be unsubstantiated - meaning it had not been proven either way. The union also insisted that the man alleged to have made the comment was eventually interviewed.
Ms Wathan and the WRU had settled "amicably" out of court in December, prior to the show airing, after an employment tribunal had been launched.
The programme also heard from an anonymous former employee who claimed to have been bullied by a manager, while another said he heard a racist term used in a work meeting. It was also revealed former board member Amanda Blanc had faced sexism in her role and hard warned the Union they faced a "ticking timebomb" on diversity and equality before quitting in 2021.
Engelhardt's surprise comments come amid an ongoing investigation into the Union by an external taskforce, which was sparked by the initial allegations from the former staff members (you can read them in full here). It is being led by former Court of Appeal Judge Dame Anne Rafferty.
The review is examining the culture within the WRU, the actions and behaviour of leadership (at all levels), the WRU's actions in response to individual complaints set out in the BBC Wales Investigates programme, the extent to which employees feel able to voice concerns or to challenge inappropriate and discriminatory language and behaviour, and the effectiveness of the WRU’s whistleblowing policy and procedures.
It began in February and the chair has been reporting progress to the WRU and commissioning advisory group on a monthly basis. The final report is expected to be completed in the next three months, with the Union saying its findings will be published in full.
Engelhardt is an independent director on the WRU board and has previously spoken about the need for governance reform at the WRU, which was eventually passed earlier this year.
Those changes will see the appointment of an independent chair for the first time, as well as a new permanent CEO, with Engelhardt believed to be heavily involved in the recruitment process. Previous CEO Steve Phillips was forced to resign as a result of the public storm the allegations caused.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "The BBC stands by the accuracy and robustness of its journalism in the BBC Wales Investigates programme - Welsh Rugby Under the Spotlight - which exposed serious concerns raised about the WRU's handling of allegations of sexism, sexual harassment, misogyny, racist and homophobic comments and bullying by former staff."
MP for Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi, who took part in the programme, described Engelhardt as being "on another planet".
She added: "There's no sensationalism. The culture, the misogyny and sexism was only the tip of the iceberg of what we saw because women were too scared to come forward."
Shortly after the programme aired, acting WRU CEO Nigel Walker told a Senedd committee: "I think in any organisation, especially a large organisation like the Welsh Rugby Union, it's possible for things to happen over a period of time and for people to turn a blind eye and not to address those problems. So the warning signs have been there for quite some time.
"When it's presented as graphically as it was during that programme, the BBC Wales Programme, the week before last, it hits you like a 10-tonne truck.
"To be candid, I think as an organisation we have been in denial as to the extent of the problem. Each individual case has been an indication that there has been a wider problem but people have not joined the dots."
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