WRU appoints Lyndon Faulkner as chair amid plans to reduce professional teams

The Welsh Rugby Union has named businessman and former player Lyndon Faulkner as its next chair, with the appointment coming as Welsh rugby faces a reduction in its professional teams. According to BBC Sport, the 66-year-old will take over the position vacated by Richard Collier-Keywood at the governing body's annual general meeting on Sunday, 22 November.

Faulkner will arrive while the WRU is planning to move from four professional teams to three. Ospreys and Scarlets are competing to avoid losing their place in that structure. The union has already confirmed that Cardiff, which it owns, and the privately backed Dragons will continue beyond the end of the 2027-28 season. The appointment does not resolve which west Wales side will remain.

The WRU said its new independent chair would lead the board in determining the direction of Welsh rugby and hold the executive team and staff accountable for carrying out that strategy. Faulkner will also represent the organisation internationally as a global ambassador. The union presented his appointment as bringing together experience relevant to the community game, professional rugby and business.

In comments released by the WRU and reported by the BBC, Faulkner said he intended to begin by listening and would remain receptive to credible challenges to his thinking. He described returning to Welsh rugby in the role as an opportunity to give something back, pointing to the sport's importance to his own life, his family and the wider nation.

His playing background includes Newport Youth, Newport's senior team and Pontypool. He attended Bassaleg Comprehensive School in Newport and is the nephew of former Wales and Pontypool prop Tony Faulkner. After an injury brought his playing career to an end, he built a business career in the United States, with senior positions at companies including Microsoft, Pelican Products and Peli Biothermal.

Chief executive Abi Tierney welcomed the prospect of working with Faulkner to develop the game at every level. Alison Thorne, the WRU's senior independent director, said he would contribute a different perspective to both rugby and business discussions. His formal handover in November will put him at the head of the board overseeing the union's planned changes.