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Page 1 of 2 The Welsh Rugby Union's 245 member clubs have overwhelmingly rejected a vote of no confidence in the board, thereby condeming the valleys to no regional representation.
From BBC Sport: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/4768525.stm
The motion had been brought by 13 'rebel' clubs at an Extraordinary General Meeting in Cardiff City Hall.
WRU President Keith Rowlands said he hoped that wounds had been healed and that Welsh rugby could move on.
WRU management have made a number of moves to assuage unrest, including agreeing to appoint a new group chief executive to replace David Moffett.
The failure to name a replacement after Moffett's surprise departure last December - and the failure to consult the clubs over that decision - was a major bone of contention.
The 'rebel' clubs, represented by former board member and Chepstow RFC official Howard Watkins, also alleged that the Union's debts were far heavier than the acknowledged £40m.
"It's a shame that we were called to account over financial matters that we have now fully justified," said WRU chairman David Pickering.
"The board's actions have been totally vindicated, but this sort of action has been expensive and extremely disruptive to business.
"I would like to see the rules changed so that a significantly larger number of clubs are needed to call an EGM than the current 10."
Other criticisms voiced before the meeting were:
The director's role being performed by Millennium Stadium boss Paul Sergeant since Moffett's exit
The handling of former coach Mike Ruddock's departure - notably that the five-man executive board agreed his departure before informing the full board of directors
The performance of the 17-man WRU board
The WRU's criticism of clubs after international tickets found their way onto the black market and their ticket distribution policy
Issues over lower league structures
But it is understood that the vote of no confidence was supported by only around 20 votes out of over 500.
In the build-up to the meeting, Pickering apologised to the clubs over the Union's handling of the ticketing argument.
The decision to appoint Gareth Jenkins as Ruddock's successor ahead of Phil Davies is also thought to have been influenced by grass-roots pressure.
But Union officials were bullish over the financial position, last week pledging an extra £1.7m in funding for their four professional regions and 245 member clubs after what they described as a record financial year.
The regions will receive an additional £300,000 each and an extra £200,000 goes to the semi-professional Premiership teams.
An additional £300,000 will go to the community game in the Asda leagues.
"Having got our debt under control we are poised to announce record profits across the group," said Lewis.
"It is therefore only right that a large proportion of that money should be ploughed back into the game we service.
"It is no secret that the Celtic League is hoping to announce a major sponsor for next season.
"By that time we will have agreed a new four-year accord with our Scottish and Irish counterparts that will provide the backbone of the competitive season for our regions.
"When that is confirmed it will mean that for the first time Welsh rugby will have a sponsor at every level.
"Big businesses are investing large sums in Welsh rugby because they like what they see.
"They have watched our game restructure itself from top to bottom and emerge leaner, meaner and more in tune with the requirements of clubs, players and spectators.
"We have built a solid platform from which we can now move forward to gain greater success."
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