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Second Wales star publicly backs calls for WRU board to go as 'enough is enough'

· John Jones · 2026-08-16T06:44:29+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Second Wales star publicly backs calls for WRU board to go as 'enough is enough' The Welsh Rugby Union is facing a campaign to overthrow its leadership with top figures speaking out Former Wales international Tom Shanklin has publicly backed calls for the Welsh Rugby Union board to resign en masse, insisting the current regime is "nowhere near good enough". The WRU has endured a bruising week, with influential business leaders and legendary Wales international Jonathan 'Jiffy' Davies calling for the board to be ousted. It followed accusations from both the Ospreys and Scarlets that the union has chosen the wrong path, with the regions demanding the governing body to show the evidence used to decide that only one professional team should remain in west Wales going forward. The WRU board came out fighting with a statement on Saturday morning, in which they hit out at the calls for its 11 current members to resign en masse, defending their expertise and insisting that Welsh rugby cannot afford four professional teams beyond 2028 if it wants to succeed. JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more However, a bid to oust the board is gaining support, with former Cardiff centre Shanklin admitting "enough is enough" as he praised influential businesswoman and former Cardiff director Hayley Parsons for calling for the entire board to resign. Responding to GoCompare founder Parsons' calls for the board to go, the ex-Wales international wrote on X: "Really hope this gets the backing it deserves. Lots of time and effort has gone into this, and fair play to Hayley for calling them out. "Enough is enough, it’s clear to see the current regime is nowhere near good enough. If we continue as we are it will be the end of Welsh Rugby." Earlier in the week, Parsons told WalesOnline that there was a lack of rugby and commercial expertise on the board and insisted the current regime have made things worse over the past three years. "Welsh rugby is in a real bad place at the moment and the current board have been in place for three years," she said. "Yes, they inherited a poisoned chalice but they've had three years to fix it. "The reality is they have made things considerably worse and they all need to go." Her calls were then endorsed by Davies, who released a video on social media on Friday urging other former players to speak out and help oust the regime, claiming that it has "failed to deliver". "I totally support what [Parsons] says," he said. "This board has been in place for three years and it's failed to deliver. So it's now time for them to have a look at themselves and decide whether it's time for them to step aside and leave. "Someone else (can) come in and take over, an interim board to settle the ship and to pick a board fit for purpose. The economy and the game in Wales is suffering from it. So it's time now for everyone to get behind Hayley and voice an opinion - ex-players, regions, clubs, and, most importantly, the fans - to say change is needed. "It's up to us to make the changes or force the changes," Davies added. "Otherwise this is not going away. And in five or 10 years, we would be in a far worse state. So, come on, let's get together and support each other and try and make a change." Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news