Welsh Rugby Union chairman Ieuan Evans says it isn't for him to determine whether his integrity has been damaged after publicly backing WRU CEO Steve Phillips to stay on days ahead of his resignation.
The union have endured a turbulent week following toxic allegations of misogyny, sexism, racism and homophobia, which led to Phillips' resignation on Sunday. However, he had previously asserted he was the "man to drive this forward" as he stated his intention to stay.
Evans, who only took on the role at the end of November, backed him publicly, stating he had "total confidence we will get this right", stressing that Phillips was part of that. However, the fact that Phillips' position quickly became untenable begs questions of whether Evans' place at the head of the union is also in danger.
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Instead, he feels that Phillips' resignation presents the WRU with a chance to head in a new direction - one that he sees himself driving forward in the immediate future.
Asked if his personal credibility was damaged by backing Phillips, Evans said: "In my heart, I'm very loyal. I like to think I have integrity. It's up to others to judge whether I have or not.
"Steve Phillips had made changes. But when he decided he would like to step down, we accepted that resignation. We feel now is an opportunity to move forward.
"An opportunity to establish a culture, a new sense of direction and new leadership. That's important for us at this moment that we have reached a point of crisis here. We need to reassure, give comfort and give confidence that we have the ability to emerge from this as a far stronger organisation."
When asked again about his credibility, Evans spoke of his belief that he will drive change at the union at a time when trust in the governing body is arguably at an all-time low.
"It's leadership," he added. "I'm already saying I'm determined to drive change and I'm at the forefront of that.
"I've already stated on record that an independent chair is the way forward and hope to convince the clubs that is the right path forward. I've no doubt they'll understand that.
"Where we are now and the crisis involved, we accepted the resignation and we now move on, hopefully with a clearer take of where we need to go.
"These are dark moments but hopefully it's an opportunity we can grasp. We need to grasp it and hopefully we can see a fresh horizon here."
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The change Evans is looking to bring about would see the union have the opportunity to appoint an independent chair with the required skillset to lead a £100m business, rather than the role being filled by someone who has been elected. Evans also spoke about a "significant upgrade of independent directors". The former was something that predecessor Rob Butcher tried to get past the member clubs at the AGM last October, only to not receive enough votes to affect change.
Shortly afterwards, he stepped down from his post. However, a similar result was something that Evans didn't entertain ahead of a proposed EGM planned for March.
"We've got a compelling case here," he said. "We need to convince and engage properly in a very short turnaround, but I truly believe the appetite is there for change and we need to ensure that happens.
"The appetite and drive for this is critical to our evolution. It's critical to where we are at the moment and where we need to go to. We need the clubs' help to achieve that. I truly believe the clubs understand that.
"We need to articulate that to them. We're sharing the plans with them and the Welsh Government imminently. I see some real force for change here."
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