Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Richard Collier-Keywood replaced Ieuan Evans as WRU chair in 2023
ByChris KirwanBBC Sport Wales- Published41 minutes ago
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Under-fire Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chair Richard Collier-Keywood will step down from his role this summer at the end of his three-year term.
Collier-Keywood has been in position since 2023 but will exit on 16 July after deciding not to seek a second term.
The announcement comes ahead of an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Monday, 13 April at which he was due to face a vote of no confidence.
"I have been reflecting with the board on what should happen next," said Collier-Keywood.
"We wanted to make this announcement to enable the recruitment process to start and before the EGM is held so everyone goes into the EGM process with the benefit of the same knowledge."
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Collier-Keywood's departure comes at a time of chaos and uncertainty for the professional game in Wales.
The WRU is pushing on with highly controversial plans to cut the number of men's teams from four – Scarlets, Ospreys, Cardiff, Dragons – to three by June 2027.
That proposal has been met with criticism, protests and legal action from both Scarlets and Swansea Council.
Collier-Keywood has been forced to appear before politicians both in Wales and Westminster in recent months and has come under major criticism for his handling of the plans.
"Over the course of the last few years, the new board has made key decisions unanimously despite the very difficult choices we have had to face," said Collier-Keywood, who was the first independent chair of the WRU.
"I am fully committed to serving out the remainder of my term, subject of course, to the outcome of the EGM.
"The people I have had the pleasure of working with in the WRU and outside, and the importance of and passion for rugby in Wales, have been a source of continued inspiration to me in carrying out this role.
"I am pleased to leave with two Welsh head coaches in place with Steve Tandy and Sean Lynn and I am looking forward to watching from the terraces as our teams go from strength to strength."
More change at WRU amid uncertainty
Collier-Keywood is the second major figure to leave the governing body in recent weeks after Malcolm Wall, independent chair of the Professional Rugby Board (PRB) and WRU board member, left earlier this month at the end of his tenure.
The former Harlequins chairman has been replaced on an interim basis by Marianne Okland.
Collier-Keywood's three years in charge has coincided with a tumultuous period for Welsh rugby both on and off the field.
The national men's and women's teams have finished bottom of the Six Nations for the past two years - three in the case of the men - while the regional sides have struggled to compete in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Europe.
Collier-Keywood has also repeatedly stressed the financial difficulties that he and current chief executive Abi Tierney inherited from previous leaders of the governing body.
However, WRU board member Alison Thorne said Collier-Keywood could be "very proud" of his efforts to direct the game in Wales.
"He inherited a very difficult financial position and an organisation with cultural problems," she said.
"He has led from the front in terms of culture change and significantly improved our financial position culminating in the refinancing in January 2026 as a platform for future stability and growth.
"Richard has built a genuinely diverse board that brings together expertise from Welsh rugby, from business and from the communities we serve."
