Wales to ride World Cup wave
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) is set to launch a series of initiatives which will aim to boost the community game by harnessing the energy generated by Wales in the World Cup.
The union’s Annual General Meeting was told that a series of projects will be unveiled in the weeks ahead as they look to capitlaise on their team’s impressive performance in New Zealand which saw them secure fourth place.
The AGM at the Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot was told that the performance of Wales on and off the field at the World Cup has confirmed the stature of Welsh rugby as a major force in the world game.
The WRU group chief executive Roger Lewis said: “We must harness the energy of our Rugby World Cup performance to drive participation levels in the community game.
“There will be short term and long term initiatives unveiled soon all generated and designed to develop grassroots rugby.”
The chairman of the WRU, David Pickering, praised the Welsh squad and management for Wales’ performances on and off the field at the World Cup.
He said: “The Rugby World Cup has proved that the gap between northern and southern hemisphere rugby is closing. Wales are now very capable of beating any of these teams and we will not deviate from our plans to sustain that strength in our rugby.”
He pinpointed the international fixture schedule for Wales across recent years for driving the development of the squad performances.
The AGM was told that financial indicators show that the successful results of the past year look set to herald another positive 12 months ahead despite the challenging economic climate.
