Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chairman Ieuan Evans has apologised to the victims of alleged sexism and discrimination within the organisation.
Charlotte Wathan, who was general manager of women’s rugby before she resigned last February, accused a male colleague of joking that he wanted to rape her.
There has since been calls for WRU chief executive Steve Phillips to leave his role, while his comments in response to the allegations have been condemned by a number of people.
Total confidence
Former Wales captain Evans said: “I have total confidence that we will get this right.
“That includes Steve. He is the chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union. We will get this right.
“I can only sincerely and heartfelt apologise to all affected.
“As a father of two young women, I found it deeply distressing, and I can only apologise to all affected by this.
“The WRU is an iconic institution in Wales that relies on a huge amount of goodwill.
“You work hard to get that goodwill, but goodwill needs to be replenished, and people are now craving reassurance. We will address the issues, drive the changes and bring that trust and faith back.
“It is not about individuals, this is a collective. It’s all of us. We need to embrace the challenge together.
“I want to ensure that our game and our organisation is fit to be a modern, outward-looking organisation. I think that is our drive here.
“My ambition here is to bring in some external expertise and establish a taskforce to ensure they review everything and ensure that we establish and develop the right culture to ensure that it is that welcoming institution we truly believe it is capable of being.
“This can’t be an internal review, this has to be external with that genuine expertise we need from other organisations. Other organisations, sports, entities, might have gone through similar experiences.”
Phillips wrote to the WRU’s member clubs, saying: “We will re-examine our structures and procedures to make sure our employees find a business that is caring and sensitive to their needs and welfare.
“I cannot turn back the clock, but I promise you we will start work on making necessary changes immediately.
“Much of the recent comment has been difficult to hear, but I implore anyone, anywhere throughout the game who is affected by any of the issues raised to contact us immediately.”
Further discrimination allegations
As well as sexism allegations, there have also been claims of homophobia and racism within the governing body.
One unnamed contributor to a BBC Wales investigation which revealed these allegations said that she had been left contemplating suicide by her experiences of bullying and sexism.
Evans added: “We need to sit down with the board imminently. Put it this way, I don’t think there is a long time-frame here.
“We can’t abdicate responsibility. We need to be front and centre with this, and my responsibility is to lead that.
“I hope there is still a residue of that goodwill, but it has been tarnished, there is no doubt about it, and we have to address that and earn that trust.
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“Nothing has more significance than this. If you were to offer me a (Six Nations) Grand Slam or a successful outcome to this and resolving this, then culture comes first.”