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Welsh rugby: Ex-judge to lead WRU sexism claims investigation

WRU Dame Anne RaffertyWRU
Dame Anne Rafferty DBE PC, will head the independent review panel

A former judge will chair a panel which will consider allegations of sexism, misogyny and racism within the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

The claims led to the resignation of WRU chief executive Steve Phillips and the promise of a taskforce to investigate.

As chairwoman Dame Anne Rafferty has set out the role and responsibilities of the panel and scope of the review.

Additional panel members will be selected next week.

The group will be considering the period from 2017 to the present day, but the timeframe may change depending on the evidence that comes to light.

In particular, the taskforce will be asked to consider:

  • Behaviour at all levels of the sporting organisation
  • How comfortable staff feel raising concerns or challenging inappropriate and discriminatory language and behaviour
  • The effectiveness of the WRU's whistleblowing policies and procedures
  • Action taken by the WRU in response to the concerns raised in the BBC investigation.

It came after two female former employees described a "toxic culture" within the governing body, in a BBC Wales investigation.

Among them, former head of Wales women's rugby Charlotte Wathan said she considered suicide and claimed a male colleague joked in front of others in an office environment that he wanted to "rape" her.

"He joked he wanted to rape me," claims Charlotte Wathan

Amanda Blanc, who chaired Welsh rugby's professional board between 2019 and 2021, warned the WRU it had a problem before the sexism claims emerged.

Another former employee claimed to have heard a racist term used in a work meeting while MP and former Wales rugby player Tonia Antoniazzi said other women had also raised concerns with her.

Acting WRU chief executive Nigel Walker told a Senedd culture and sport committee that the organisation had been "in denial" over the issues.

The WRU said recommendations and findings from previous reviews will be used to inform the investigation, but the new taskforce will not be asked to duplicate work previously done.

The panel will produce a report and make recommendations which will be published in full.

The review is due to begin on 13 February.

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Who is Dame Anne Rafferty?

The Rt Hon Dame Anne Rafferty was called to the Bar in 1973 and took Silk in 1990 and would become the first woman to chair the Criminal Bar Association.

She was appointed a High Court Judge in 2000, sitting in the Queen's Bench Division.

In 2011, Dame Anne was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal and Privy Counsellor until she retired from the Bench in 2020.

She led an independent review into alleged sexual abuse at Highgate School in 2021 and has been appointed by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to lead fatality investigations raised by the Ministry of Defence.