2023 was probably a year unlike any other in rugby.
It was the 10th edition of the FIFA World Cup, but beyond the global event in France, there has been plenty of buzz around the game over the last 12 months. It’s been a worrying year in Wales, with some chickens coming home, with changes emerging after a year of contract crises, strike threats, sexism investigations and just about everything you can imagine.
Further afield, several English clubs have folded due to financial difficulties, showing that it’s not just Welsh rugby that is at a crossroads in 2024. Get the latest rugby news sent straight to your inbox for free with our daily newsletter.
With all that in mind, here are the changes coming in the new year.
new CEO
In January, the first female chief executive of the northern hemisphere’s leading rugby union will take up the role, while Abby Tierney will take over at the Welsh Rugby Union.
The measure comes in a year in which the Union has been dogged by accusations of racism, sexism, misogyny and homophobia. To say Tierney has work to do is an understatement.
After Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed his departure from the Home Office, he is now tasked with changing perceptions of the governing body after allegations and a subsequent investigation into a “toxic” culture led to the early resignation of his predecessor Steve Phillips. this year.
What needs to change is not just the perception of the WRU as an old-fashioned, coat-laden organization that would allow such a culture to exist, but also the image of an organization in conflict with its professional clubs.
Tierney leads the board with a new look. That’s right.
A comprehensive strategy
In addition to the new CEO, there is also the promise of a new global strategy to be published at the beginning of the year.
In November, WRU chairman Richard Collier-Caywood said: “It is vital that Welsh rugby has a unified strategy. It will be in the first half of the next calendar year. When I arrived, I saw this as a weakness.
“Many people told me that the WRU has no strategy. Whether it was or not, if most people think it wasn’t, it probably isn’t. It’s not just about creating a strategy, it’s about communicating it.
“If people don’t understand what you’re trying to do, it’s very difficult to align.”
This is evident in the latest strategy published by the WRU. The Circle of Integrity, developed in 2016, was a six-step guide to improving the game in this country.
This happened as follows: 1. Provide the best players and coaches in a high-performance environment; 2. Achieve success in the best competitions; 3. Attract more followers, more frequently; 4. Provide greater sponsorship and investment value; 5. Reinvest in the game; 6. Attract, develop and retain potential talents such as players, coaches and committees.
They probably never got the first point, so it’s no surprise that everything else was a failure as well. As for the WRU, they will need to achieve more than the “virtuous circle” ever did.
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A familiar face returns
On a more rugby-focused note, there has been a change of coach in Wales, although not as dramatic as 12 months ago.
A year ago, Warren Gatland parachuted in to replace Wayne Pivac with the French World Cup on the horizon. This time, it’s just a small change to Gatland’s coaching stint.
Coach Rob Howley was someone Gatland wanted to sign upon his return last year, but the WRU blocked the move. However, the time has come for Gatland’s former assistant to return.
Few would begrudge Hawley his long-awaited return to senior trial training, having previously been banned for 18 months for betting-related offences.
His role will be divided between the national team and the under-20s, in an attempt to create a more fluid route from age group to senior team. His impact on Welsh rugby will be significant.
New competitions
By 2024, in theory, new competitions from both near and far should be introduced.
Here in Wales, the eternal question of what to do with the Premier League appears to have a different answer: an elite 10-team national competition designed to replace the league.
The new national competition was developed by the WRU to bridge the gap between the semi-professional and regional levels of the game. From next season, 10 clubs, probably all from the Welsh Premier League, will join the professional side of the game, meaning they will come under the authority of the Professional Rugby Board and the Rugby Board.
However, some clubs have reservations about the details of the new league, meaning things are unlikely to go smoothly before it theoretically starts next year.
Then, next year, a new annual competition will begin with Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States. The renewed Pacific Nations Cup will be held in August and September, with two groups of three teams each.
One group will be made up of Canada, the United States and Japan, and the other group will be made up of the Pacific Islands. A final series will be held every year for all teams to determine the champion, and Japan and the United States will take turns hosting the final series, starting first.
The new tournament is the first step in introducing a global calendar, which will begin every two years in 2026.
Renewed hopes for Anglo-Welsh parties
The current deal for the Gallagher professional rugby team expires in June next year, after which a new deal will be agreed between the Premier League, its clubs and the Rugby Football Union.
That deal is expected to be completed soon, but other negotiations are also taking place in English rugby.
As the clubs have split, the current format of the Premier League is being considered. It is currently an 11-team competition and is unlikely to last much longer.
In October it was confirmed that “preliminary discussions” about an Anglo-Irish league had taken place. Since then, the desire to watch more Anglo-Welsh games has only increased following Cardiff’s clash with Bath in the Champions Cup.
There has also been talk of a two-division Premier League format that could be introduced in 2025 to coincide with the return of defunct clubs such as Worcester, Wasps and London Irish. Can the Welsh see a bright future there?
More Anglo-Welsh games, whether in an England and Wales league or as part of a British and Irish league, can only be a good thing. It’s not the “Golden Ball” that some Irish Sea critics think everyone in Wales believes in, but it’s better than the one we’re in now.
It often feels like Welsh teams are expected to be happy with their lot in Rugby United, an intercontinental league that is to climate change what Eddie Jones is to media relations. In reality, selling the game in Wales isn’t the league’s strong point either.
But the truth is that queer fans are more likely to watch an Anglo-Welsh game than any other, whether they lose to Leinster, the Stormers or Bristol. It’s unlikely, but perhaps border negotiations offer an opportunity, however small.
Source: Wales Online

I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.