'We need to do better' - Welsh rugby's boss on the wooden spoon and why there's hope for the future

The woman at the top of Welsh Rugby has said the organisation needs "to do better" after admitting the game is "at rock bottom" following the recent Six Nations campaign.

Abi Tierney was speaking for the first time since the Wales men's team was handed the wooden spoon, the first time that's happened since 2003.

Tierney, who became the first female Chief Executive of the Welsh Rugby Union when she was appointed last year, said she was "devastated for the fans" following the campaign, which saw Warren Gatland's men lose all five of their games against their European counterparts.

Asked if the game was "at rock bottom", Tierney said: "I don't think you can deny that. The last time we got the wooden spoon was 2003 so it doesn't get harder than that.

"Having been a Welsh rugby fan over the years I always believed they could win and achieve extraordinary results, and there've been several tears shed over the years.

"It feels so much harder as the Chief Exec. I feel absolutely devastated for the fans, the team and the WRU team. We need to do better.

"But we did take the decision at the beginning of this year that we were going to bring on a new team. We lost a lot of experienced players last year and you have to start somewhere.

"And if you take it forward to the next World Cup and the caps and experience those players will have had, I absolutely believe it was the right thing to do."

Talking about the 5 year strategy the WRU are putting in place to improve performances, Tierney said fans could expect to see "gradual improvements" each year.

"We've got a strategy process we're putting in place at the moment and out of that will come the detailed plans. So it's not going to be fixed overnight, we need to do it properly.

"We'll see improvements during that time and we'll set targets during that time. But we're right in the middle of that process now so I don't want to commit without engaging first.

"There's definite hope, whether I'm talking to Warren and the team or the HR team or the guys who run the stadium day in and day out.

"We don't lose people at the WRU. People want to stay, people want to work for us. So there's definitely hope."

Tierney, who started her working life at IBM before stints in local government, the NHS and more recently the Passport Office, has also inherited problems off the pitch.

Last year a review was published into the culture at the WRU after reports of sexism, misogyny, homophobia and racism at the organisation.

Speaking to Adrian Masters on tonight's "Face to Face" programme, she admitted that there "was still work to do" on changing the culture, but that it was right for WRU staff to feel "proud" of working for the governing body.

"I think the report was important because it said there weren't institutional challenges with the culture, it was more individual cases.

"One case is not OK. But it's absolutely OK for people to be proud of the work that they do and the team they work in, and that's what I say to them."

You can see more of Abi Tierney's interview with Adrian Masters on "Face to Face" on ITV1 Wales tonight at 10:45pm

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