What's Moffett up to now?

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http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/new-twist-david-moffett-takes-7240208

David Moffett has taken to Twitter today to insist he's heading back to New Zealand before Sunday's WRU EGM .

Former WRU chief executive David Moffett says he is ready to head back to New Zealand less than three weeks after securing the first extraordinary general meeting of the union since 2007.

On May 22, Moffett announced he'd won enough support to bring about the EGM to discuss the league structure in Wales.

The meeting has been scheduled for this Sunday, June 15, but in a new twist, Moffett has today taken to Twitter to criticise sections of the media as a disgrace and to accuse clubs of not caring.He aims another brickbat at the WRU management style before saying: "Think I'll b**** off back back home tomorrow."

He added on Twitter: "I wish all those that attend the best of luck on Sunday. This is my last communication thanks for the incredible support/opposition.”



Can anyone actually confirm this is true? If true I have to say I thought he would bail at some stage but even this is a bit quick by his standards. Calls the EGM and then does not even bother to turn up for it.

Munchkin wrote:So all, or most, of the four Regions either voted in favour of the staus quo, or abstained...

Or they were on their own.

What an embarrassment.

Can we now get on with reaching some kind of agreement? Welsh rugby desperately needs stability and when that is reached, serious reform to its governance.

Munchkin wrote:So all, or most, of the four Regions either voted in favour of the staus quo, or abstained...

Or they were alone in voting for no confidence.

I guess that's that now then. Just a case of sitting back and having to deal with things staying the same

Have to admit I'm surprised by this. I expected the regions to be at the forefront of Moffett's reshuffle initiative given their gripe with the current WRU board. Never anticipated Roger and co. having virtually unanimous support after the noises some of the member clubs were making.

This is promising as I guess it indicates a start to closing this ridiculous chasm we have between the head and body of Welsh rugby.

I hope this is the last we see or hear from Moffett. May he go now and find some other rugby union to parasitically cling to.
Or we could put him in a phantom zone and send him on a timeless journey through space like the baddies in Superman.

"This isn't the last you've seen of me, WRU!"

I think the Regions had two votes each. Considering how many votes were taken into account, that seems to make sense. According to WM, one of the four votes was Moffetts...

A victory for Roger, methinks, but, and for the future good of Welsh Rugby, Roger needs to resign his position. Regardless of how good, or bad, he has been for Welsh rugby, he will always be associated with a fairly traumatic time in Welsh rugby's history. New broom, and a clean sweep required. I suspect he will move on in a year, or so. Other ambitions.

Munchkin wrote:I think the Regions had two votes each. Considering how many votes were taken into account, that seems to make sense. According to WM, one of the four votes was Moffetts...

A victory for Roger, methinks, but, and for the future good of Welsh Rugby, Roger needs to resign his position. Regardless of how good, or bad, he has been for Welsh rugby, he will always be associated with a fairly traumatic time in Welsh rugby's history. New broom, and a clean sweep required. I suspect he will move on in a year, or so. Other ambitions.

I can't see Lewis standing down now, not until he has seen his plans for central control/contracts implemented.

All I know is that divisions between the Regions and the WRU (whilst being very much the business of Welsh people, Welsh clubs, regions and the WRU); those divisions that have gone on publically for a full year now and have now come to a conclusion of sorts where agreement of sorts has been made.... the divisions have allowed the PRL and LNR to use, manipulate, bribe and bully their way to the creation of a new centrally focused (England/France) Europe - where power has drifted not just away from regions but from the WRU and Welsh rugby itself, as well as their partners in the Pro12.  We are now monitored and controlled by external and rival leagues, told what we're worth, told how little we matter, told that the open market on our better players will continue.
And that all happened as Regions and WRU took their internal battles public and yet settled them in the end without a shot of real administative change being fired in anger.

I consider that a high price for taking an internal fight into the public realm.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Munchkin wrote:I think the Regions had two votes each. Considering how many votes were taken into account, that seems to make sense. According to WM, one of the four votes was Moffetts...

A victory for Roger, methinks, but, and for the future good of Welsh Rugby, Roger needs to resign his position. Regardless of how good, or bad, he has been for Welsh rugby, he will always be associated with a fairly traumatic time in Welsh rugby's history. New broom, and a clean sweep required. I suspect he will move on in a year, or so. Other ambitions.

I can't see Lewis standing down now, not until he has seen his plans for central control/contracts implemented.

I think you're right. Lewis' stock has risen significantly after the strength of votes in his favour. Even so, standing down right now will look like a defeat of sorts, and he won't resign his position until something equal, or better, is offered elsewhere. From reading some articles, he seems to be working toward that end as chairman of the board of the new South East Wales City Region. Political ambitions?
The issue with CCs will be resolved soon, they have to be, and so won't hold Lewis back from moving on in a year, or so. I could be wrong, and he could remain in his WRU position for years to come. It's just my feeling that he won't once an opportunity that matches his ambition arrives.

Their spitting feathers on the scarlet fever forum. One thing this EGM vote has shown is how little love is lost between the clubs and the regions. Welsh Rugby as divided as ever? I wonder how long the regions can keep going.

Totallybiasedscarlet wrote:

Munchkin wrote:So all, or most, of the four Regions either voted in favour of the staus quo, or abstained...

Or they were on their own.

What an embarrassment.

Can we now get on with reaching some kind of agreement? Welsh rugby desperately needs stability and when that is reached, serious reform to its governance.

No, I don't think the Regions voted a vote of no confidence. Certainly an embarrassment though for Moffett, and those acting on his behalf. Not so much for the Regions. On the surface there doesn't appear to have been any concerted effort by the Regions to influence the vote either way, as much as some of their online vocal support would have wished, however, it does weaken any bargaining power they may have had. Assuming a deal hasn't already been agreed.

SUFTUM   

Wow. So almost none of the people involved in administrating club rugby in Wales share the regions view of the WRU?!

Given such a very low number of votes against the status quo it's tempting to conclude there is a really massive gap between the way the fans of the regions (and RRW) see things and the actual feelings of people involved in the Grassroots. But there must be a dozen other motives why people have voted the way they have.

I do think it may indicate that the regions are seriously unpopular with the bulk of WRU member clubs, even whilst cautioning myself and everyone else against jumping to conclusions, no-one seems to have been very moved by their plight. At all. The very people they need to get filling their terraces and supporting them have no interest in siding with them. That is stunning.

Another possibility is that clubs voted the way they did as they were afraid of getting an even worse deal if they sided against the power brokers in the Union. It seems the WRU indicated they were willing to listen to clubs on the restructuring of amateur leagues.

Munchkin wrote:

Totallybiasedscarlet wrote:

Munchkin wrote:So all, or most, of the four Regions either voted in favour of the staus quo, or abstained...

Or they were on their own.

What an embarrassment.

Can we now get on with reaching some kind of agreement? Welsh rugby desperately needs stability and when that is reached, serious reform to its governance.

No, I don't think the Regions voted a vote of no confidence. Certainly an embarrassment though for Moffett, and those acting on his behalf. Not so much for the Regions. On the surface there doesn't appear to have been any concerted effort by the Regions to influence the vote either way, as much as some of their online vocal support would have wished, however, it does weaken any bargaining power they may have had. Assuming a deal hasn't already been agreed.

SUFTUM   

I was just giving the remaining option. It seems unlikely the regions weighed in.

Notch - this is the problem with the regions in Wales. They've not been taken to heart by most fans because they're basically seen as the clubs they were made from with the possible exception of the Ospreys (I see them as Swansea btw). Attempts have been made to extend their appeal beyond their club base but it doesnt work in particular when Ponty fans wont go to see the Cardiff Blues ... and who can blame them? Yet the WRU sell out a Trial match. There is clearly appetite for rugby in Wales but, and it pains me to say, the Scarlets et al just carry too much baggage from their Club days to bring in the fans in decent numbers as it stands. Give it another decade and perhaps they'll get a new generation in but most of the current fans and club administrators remember what happened back in 2003 and just wont back what they see as self proclaimed super-clubs.

Totallybiasedscarlet wrote:Their spitting feathers on the scarlet fever forum. One thing this EGM vote has shown is how little love is lost between the clubs and the regions. Welsh Rugby as divided as ever? I wonder how long the regions can keep going.

This doesn't make sense. The EGM wasn't about the regions views against the club views. This was predominently about the league structure and the finances so the overwhelming support for the current makeup of the WRU doesn't reflect club/region relations at all, it just shows that the clubs are happy with what they heard at the EGM.

The regions have said they voted on the same side of the majority anyway...

gcBlues wrote:

Totallybiasedscarlet wrote:Their spitting feathers on the scarlet fever forum. One thing this EGM vote has shown is how little love is lost between the clubs and the regions. Welsh Rugby as divided as ever? I wonder how long the regions can keep going.

This doesn't make sense. The EGM wasn't about the regions views against the club views. This was predominently about the league structure and the finances so the overwhelming support for the current makeup of the WRU doesn't reflect club/region relations at all, it just shows that the clubs are happy with what they heard at the EGM.

The regions have said they voted on the same side of the majority anyway...

Just because people support a region, does not mean that they are not involved in the local club scene etc, so they can be regional fans who are also concerned with their local club.

gcBlues wrote:The regions have said they voted on the same side of the majority anyway...

BBC said that the Regions all abstained this morning during their interview with Roger. I guess for the grassroots clubs the promise of a ballot on the restructure of the leagues was enough to keep them on side.

So...down to business.

In the interests of keeping this thread accurate - What IS Moffett up to now?

Has he said anything? Is he back on a plane? Where is he now?

Back home sitting on his tuffet, and tweeting support for Gerald Davies apparently. Best way for Moffett to support Davies would be not to voice his support, I would think.

Mr Moffets most recent tweet

"Returning to NZ to lick my wounds lol and write my book. Will hope to have it out around Xmas after 2015 RWC will be explosive and honest"

So there we have it, the answer to our question. He is going to become a best selling author.

David Moffett.  Red Dawn

First paragraph:

Lying here in the darkness as the wind burns cold shadows onto the trees,  I can't help but let my mind swing back to the beginning of everything...back to when I first made it.

You see not a lot of people would be familiar with this, but for me, it all started when I decided that I wanted the Universe to have light.  I said to myself "Let there be light".  And there was Light.....

[quote"Returning to NZ to lick my wounds lol and write my book. Will hope to have it out around Xmas after 2015 RWC will be explosive and honest"[/quote]

I should imagine by the time it's been through the WRU lawyers it will be neither....

On a more serious note - where does this leave Lewis/WRU/RRW and everyone else? I'll take it that Moffett will not be darkening Welsh doors for a while...
Would it be safe to assume that the EGM result means that everyone has bought into the (slightly revised) status quo, or is this just the bell giving everyone a breather until the next round?

SecretFly wrote:David Moffett.  Red Dawn

First paragraph:

Lying here in the darkness as the wind burns cold shadows onto the trees,  I can't help but let my mind swing back to the beginning of everything...back to when I first made it.

You see not a lot of people would be familiar with this, but for me, it all started when I decided that I wanted the Universe to have light.  I said to myself "Let there be light".  And there was Light.....

And then came the electric bill.....

And the electric bill was paid for by cowboy hat sales.

An opportunity to get rid of Lewis and Pickering lost! To hear Lewis crowing on the radio and blaming all Welsh rugby's problems on a small group of malicious individuals (and no he didn't mean himself and Pickering) was just nauseous. Just as his snide comments about Gerald Davies were also sickening!

Allegedly from Moffett on TwitLonger:

Apologies for my language but who the **** does this jumped up excuse for A CEO think he is. He knows full well that the only mandate he had out of yesterday was to review the Leagues. The vote of no confidence was defeated to keep the Board members in position it was not taken to give him carte blanche. He is unworthy of the position of CEO of the WRU. he is the sole reason why Welsh Rugby is in such poor standing in the world.
When he decides to take on a Welsh Icon and gentleman the rest of the board had better get behind Gerald Davies and demand this **** heads resignation. This is the best demonstration yet of his attempt to silence his own board as he earlier attempted to silence the BBC. This is simply a case of bullying. He is signalling to the rest of the board, step out of line and see what happens.
Of far greater importance though is the fact that he revealed private conversations and voting patterns in WRU Board meetings. This is outrageous behaviour for a CEO and must be dealt with by the Chairman David Pickering (if he has has grown a set overnight). This is a REAL test of his abilities as a Chairman.Lewis was never going to able to hold his counsel and he has now gone too far. 
In addition, all those legendary team mates must come to his defence, just as they would have in their playing days on the field if a mate was being attacked. 
**** off Lewis you are a ****ing disgrace.'


Classy rant...


He has a point though...

Oh I really wish he could get that rant into the mainstream media! Pretty much sums up what most of us welsh have been saying (and getting ran down for) on here for best part of a year.

Not too sure that we are going to see any dust settle anytime soon.

Don't think going mainstream with his rant would be a good idea. 

The problem with Moffett fighting Davies corner is that Moffett isn't well liked, or respected, in Wales. His support could actually do more damage than good for Davies, if Davies really is intent on challenging Pickering.
Think Moffett is being more than a tad hypercritical in his rant. From what I understand, he has attacked Pickering on social media, and now Lewis. Sour grapes or creating drama for his new book? 
Anywho, I think Lewis has made a mistake with his dig at Davies. Not that Davies is whiter than white in all this. I would think he knew exactly how his EGM speech would be received on all sides. If Davies has serious support amongst the blazers then he might be well placed to mount a challenge during the October AGM.

I see Gwlad have now began a twitter campaign in support of Davies. 

Well, any hope Davies had is now slowly going down the drain. Lewis/Pickering will be delighted  

Well done Moffett - Lewis couldn't have written something better with a PR man, circulate that around the blazers with an unwritten tag of "that's who would now be in charge" and his position is more secure than ever. Probably won't do a great deal for Moffett's credentials around the rugby world either.
It's probably also completely undermined any challenge from Gerald Davies as the implication (rightly or wrongly) will be "vote Davies - get Moffett".

Gerald Davies needs to distance himself from Moffat.
He is seen as a man of dignity and highly respected - Moffat is not.

Good that Moffat has brought up the issues but the best thing he could do now is stay in NZ and keep quiet.

Moffett didn't even bring up the issues though.  The issues have been there for as long as I've been chatting on this site and the indeed the old 606.  Moffett truly is just a motormouth - a self publicist who wanted to talk himself into a job.  
He propelled himself in as issue creator when the issue was well and truly an issue before he even turned up.  He has certainly social networked it best, I'll grant him that; but he didn't create the issues or bring them to a head.... (well, apart from starting the whole show with the Regions creation itself..)

What he felt sure he was going to bring to the party was a mechanism that would force a new administration on WRU.  And even when that very much didn't happen, he still has the ....balls...to dictate to WRU what the people at the EGM want.
"Oh no, Lewis - they don't want you at all, that wasn't what the defeat of the no confidence motion means at all and don't dare suggest so.  What the people want is you gone, Gerald Davies in, (me as some kind of advisor maybe, if I'm lucky, and Davies is thankful for my support), Regional rugby having more independent power etc, etc, etc.........."

Well.......................... em no, David.  You can't claim to know what the people wanted given that you felt sure in advance that what the people wanted was you.  The vote proves different.  And yet here he is, a man who decided he was returning home to quietly write his memoirs, still not being able to remove his ego from the battlefield.  
It's like a defeated politician continuously going on air to berate government for not implementing his policies. As it is clear to him that his very defeat is proof that he knows the people want his policies implemented.

He brought up the issue of mismanagement of the Welsh game and that is the key.

I cant stand the man but his dislike of Lewis and Pickering is one widely held in the Welsh game - don't let the EGM vote fool you into thinking otherwise.

Lewis may have won this battle but the war if far from over and the Welsh game will continue to pull itself apart for the foreseeable future.

Seagultaf wrote:An opportunity to get rid of Lewis and Pickering lost! To hear Lewis crowing on the radio and blaming all Welsh rugby's problems on a small group of malicious individuals (and no he didn't mean himself and Pickering) was just nauseous. Just as his snide comments about Gerald Davies were also sickening!

A foot shot d'you reckon? Could turn out to be fatal. Hope so.

geoff998rugby wrote:He brought up the issue of mismanagement of the Welsh game and that is the key.

I cant stand the man but his dislike of Lewis and Pickering is one widely held in the Welsh game - don't let the EGM vote fool you into thinking otherwise.

Lewis may have won this battle but the war if far from over and the Welsh game will continue to pull itself apart for the foreseeable future.

The war will intensify IMHO and Sunday's events could turn out to be a huge leap forward.

Irish Londoner wrote:On a more serious note - where does this leave Lewis/WRU/RRW and everyone else? I'll take it that Moffett will not be darkening Welsh doors for a while...
Would it be safe to assume that the EGM result means that everyone has bought into the (slightly revised) status quo, or is this just the bell giving everyone a breather until the next round?

Would be very unsafe to assume that. Perilous even.

Dave - so what squares the circles in Wales?
1 - The national side are possibly starting to go into decline as age and injury start to take their toll - they have a very tough RWC group to get out of. On the plus side the money is still coming in and the Mill Stad does well.
2 - The Regions aren't setting the PRO12 alight, the fanbase has to a point stabalised but they are short of funding from both the business side and the WRU side so are not likely to compete in the short term, the central contracts farce, the "disenfranchisement" stuff from the Valleys, the loss of players to the Jeff/TOP14.
3 - The Premiership clubs, not big enough to make the jump to the PRO12, in some cases too big to stay where they are, lots of stored resentment to the Regions and WRU.
4 - The local clubs - club level rugby in Wales is in decline, the game is dropping off the school P.E. syllabus, young people no longer have an automatic interest in the game.
5 - The WRU still have the support of a lot of the clubs, altough how much is predicated by fear of losing what crumbs they get is debateable.
Moffett has stirred the ants nest but he personally is too damaged and divisive and has made the whole issue around Welsh rugby a personal crusade/ego trip and about the people not the policies.
As I posted a long time ago on a "state of Welsh rugby" thread, Wales ought to be the natural home of rugby in the northern hemisphere, like a New Zealand of the north but everyone involved seems almost willfully trying to destroy it.

informative piece from ESPN on the EGM

http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/230201.html

Moffett seems like a desperate man!

Later, he suddenly abandoned the point being discussed to ask what was happening about the Welsh language section of the web site, justifying it by saying he had promised to raise the matter on behalf of a couple of supportive clubs from Welsh speaking areas. The implication was that the WRU could not even be trusted to look after its cultural heritage.
As a New Zealander it was always a dangerous route to go down but he quickly turned it into a car crash. He received the most comprehensive answer of the whole meeting - the new, revamped, Welsh language section will be up and running in a few weeks - and Lewis (unsurprisingly) could not resist showing-off his own credentials by making some additional comments in Welsh. Inexplicably, Moffett chose to respond in Swahili and, in scenes reminiscent of Prime Minister's Question Time, was ridiculed by the whole room.

whocares wrote:informative piece from ESPN on the EGM

http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/230201.html

Moffett seems like a desperate man!

Later, he suddenly abandoned the point being discussed to ask what was happening about the Welsh language section of the web site, justifying it by saying he had promised to raise the matter on behalf of a couple of supportive clubs from Welsh speaking areas. The implication was that the WRU could not even be trusted to look after its cultural heritage.
As a New Zealander it was always a dangerous route to go down but he quickly turned it into a car crash. He received the most comprehensive answer of the whole meeting - the new, revamped, Welsh language section will be up and running in a few weeks - and Lewis (unsurprisingly) could not resist showing-off his own credentials by making some additional comments in Welsh. Inexplicably, Moffett chose to respond in Swahili and, in scenes reminiscent of Prime Minister's Question Time, was ridiculed by the whole room.

Moffett is out of the picture now, but the Welsh farce continues.
Funny how the WRU sorted out the long promised welsh language section of their website, so quickly after Moffett's arrival here.

Irish Londoner wrote:Dave - so what squares the circles in Wales?

A sharpened saw, obviously. Thought everyone knew that.  

Cardiff Dave wrote:

Irish Londoner wrote:Dave - so what squares the circles in Wales?

A sharpened saw, obviously. Thought everyone knew that.  

Or you could use a file. The old test for mechanical apprentices was to file down a ball bearing into a perfect cube.

Thinking about it a file could be the answer to all the issues, providing it is a nice big file, and full of incriminating evidence.

My solution would be that if you want a perfect cube, don't first produce a ball.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

Irish Londoner wrote:Dave - so what squares the circles in Wales?

A sharpened saw, obviously. Thought everyone knew that.  

Or you could use a file.  The old test for mechanical apprentices was to file down a ball bearing into a perfect cube.

Thinking about it a file could be the answer to all the issues, providing it is a nice big file, and full of incriminating evidence.

B******?

SecretFly wrote:My solution would be that if you want a perfect cube, don't first produce a ball.

The Welsh solution is call the circle, a square and hope nobody notices.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

SecretFly wrote:My solution would be that if you want a perfect cube, don't first produce a ball.

The Welsh solution is call the circle, a square and hope nobody notices.

The way our schools are going it may just work.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

SecretFly wrote:My solution would be that if you want a perfect cube, don't first produce a ball.

The Welsh solution is call the circle, a square and hope nobody notices.

The way our schools are going it may just work.

B******?

Cardiff Dave wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

SecretFly wrote:My solution would be that if you want a perfect cube, don't first produce a ball.

The Welsh solution is call the circle, a square and hope nobody notices.

The way our schools are going it may just work.

B******?

It's a type of metal file SS.

It's also an apt description of our mate in the union Dai   

ScarletSpiderman wrote:It's also an apt description of our mate in the union Dai   

He'd have to be born to humankind. I reckon he was spawned like an Orc.

Definitely not Orc spawn, Orcs are big and strong but thick. He is more like an anti-Orc, small, weedy, but pretty crafty.