RFU Board unanimously backs CEO recommendations for change

Posted on Jan 5, 2011 in Rugby News

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) Board of Directors met today to review the recommendations of John Steele, its new Chief Executive, for changes to the organisation in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in 2015. The recommendations, made after a comprehensive and exhaustive review of the business, were unanimously approved.

Martyn Thomas, Chairman of the Board, commented, “John has absolutely vindicated our decision to appoint him as CEO. The new approach shows a real appreciation of how rugby works and will ensure that as a Union we are focussed on rugby issues as we build towards 2015. John has our total support.”

John Steele, CEO of the RFU, added, “I am delighted that the board unanimously accepted my recommendations for change. We have a hugely exciting five years ahead of us and I want to make sure we are in the best possible shape to the seize the opportunity a home World Cup gives us to grow and develop the game from the grassroots to the elite level.

“The changes we agreed will deliver a simpler management structure with clearer leadership and are changes that are right for rugby and right for the RFU. We will announce these in more detail tomorrow but until then our first priority is to talk staff through the recommendations and the next steps.”

The RFU will make further statements on Thursday 6^th January about the outcome of the review.

RFU Chairman of Board of Directors to be elected annually

Posted on Dec 16, 2010 in Rugby News

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) today held its Special General Meeting at Twickenham. The resolution being voted on was “That Rule 15.4 be deleted and the following inserted in its place: ‘The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be subject to annual election.’”

The SGM was called at the request of the Nominations Standing Committee to propose the rule change which would enable them to choose the Chairman of the RFU Board from the widest selection of candidates.

Over 370 members voted on the issue including proxy votes. The final result was that the resolution was agreed by more than the required two-thirds majority [322 votes to 49 votes] and the time limit on the tenure of the Chairman of the RFU Board was removed. The post continues to be re-elected annually through the standard Nominations process.

The next step is that the Nominations Standing Committee will make a recommendation of who it believes is the best person for the role to the RFU Council meeting in February. The RFU Council can then ratify or reject that recommendation. In either event any Council member or Privilege member wishing to stand for Chairman can do so by challenging the recommended candidate in a game-wide vote. Notification of such intent would need to be presented to the RFU CEO by April 2011.

West coast rugby sanctioned by NZRU

Posted on Oct 15, 2010 in Rugby News

West Coast Rugby has been stripped of five competition points and fined $2,500 today following a hearing before a subcommittee of the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) Board in Wellington today.

The hearing was convened to investigate a complaint that West Coast had breached the NZRU Player Eligibility Regulations during their Lochore Cup and Heartland Championship match against Wairarapa-Bush in Masterton on Saturday 2 October. West Coast won the match 35 – 30.

The subcommittee heard that West Coast knowingly breached the Player Eligibility Regulations in fielding the ineligible player under another player’s name on the team sheet and the match report.

NZRU Player Eligibility Regulations are fundamental to the integrity of the competition. In the case of this deliberate breach, the monetary fine and loss of points were considered to be an appropriate penalty.

The panel consisted of subcommittee Chairman Peter Hobbs, NZRU General Manager of Professional Rugby Neil Sorensen, and Board member Ivan Haines.

West Coast Rugby Union was represented by their Chief Executive Mike Connors and legal counsel John Sproat.

The removal of the five competition points puts West Coast on nine points, dropping them from second to fourth place on the Lochore Cup table.

GPS used in rugby research

Posted on Sep 15, 2010 in English Rugby, Premiership

Professional English rugby union clubs are using satellite technology in games this season to gather performance data as part of a PhD study into the physical demands of top flight rugby.
Players at eight Aviva Premiership clubs are already wearing Global Positioning System (GPS) monitors in matches following a dispensation relating to Law 4 granted by the International Rugby Board (IRB) this summer.
Data from nearly 100 games in which the 5hz GPS units are worn by players from Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, London Wasps, Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks will be used to:

• Investigate the use of GPS in monitoring training and game performance
• Investigate the use of GPS in monitoring injury risk and player wellbeing
• Establish positional demands in competitive match play
• Identify key indicators of performance in elite rugby union
• Identify markers for recovery in elite rugby union

The study – “The Demands of Playing and Training in Elite Rugby Union” – was commissioned by the RFU on the recommendation of the Professional Game Board. It is being undertaken by academics at the University of Chester and is part sponsored by the English Institute of Sport.

RFU Head of Sports Science Roy Headey said: “We already have the most sophisticated injury audit in world rugby, which quantifies the number and nature of rugby injuries and how many days out of training and playing those injuries cause.

“The GPS study will add precise information about the physical demands of training and playing that one way or another contribute to those injury statistics and takes place following extensive collaboration between the RFU, IRB, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players Association. It will be another big step in designing ways of reducing the injury burden at elite level.

“The same information will be invaluable in designing training programmes that exactly replicate the demands of the game, for example the distances run at different speeds, top speeds achieved and forces generated in impacts.”

In the Rugby Rebels forum

Posted on Feb 18, 2010 in Rugby News

The vexed question of which team should Warren Gatland pick to play Italy is a talking point in the Welsh Message Board (WMB). RR poster “Hook”, poses this question and offers Gatland the following advice:  “I think its important we don’t make the same mistake as Gats did last year but I would make a couple of changes and give some players a chance.” His team for Italy is: Byrne, Halfpenny, Shanklin, Roberts, James, Biggar, Phillips, Jones, Williams, Warbuton, Davies, J Thomas, Jones, Rees, Gill.

HorridM takes issue and says: “I hope we put out a good team for two reasons: 1) We need to build some confidence, 2) I’m going to that game. I can’t see us putting out too weak a team, because if we win our next two games we’ll be playing for the championship, if we don’t win them we’ll need to regain some pride.

Over in the England forum, Sharks fan Tiggers says: Back to proper rugby! Dafydd James makes his home debut and Gavin Kerr starts against his former club. Jones said, “Leeds will be hard to beat. They’ve got a good set piece and they’re desperate for a win. It’s a game that a lot of things hinge on so we really need to improve our discipline in our game. Leeds showed us back in November that they are a good side, but we have trained well this week and my players are ready and prepared for the challenge.”

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