Ieuan Evans admits to feeling the same tingle of excitement that greeted the first of his then record 72 Welsh caps as he prepares himself for a possible return to national duties.
His glittering credentials – five Welsh cup wins and a try in the triumph over Australia with Llanelli, a Heineken Cup victory with Bath, three Lions tours, 34 Test tries and 28 games as Wales captain – provide a solid bed-rock for his bid for a seat on the WRU Council.
But the 56-year-old World Rugby Hall of Famer wants the 300+ clubs to consider his business background first and foremost as he prepares for a special webinar Q&A session on Thursday ahead of the election for a seat as a National Representative.
Up against him will be former Llanelli and Wales team mate, Nigel Davies, and highly-respected chairman of Old Illtydians RFC, the former Cardiff, Newport and South Wales Police lock John Manders.
“I feel I have something valuable and positive to offer,” said Evans. “It has been a terrible year for the rugby clubs in Wales with flooding, Covid-19 and now such an uncertain playing and financial future. They need help, they need business and organisational experience as well as rugby knowledge.
“I believe I can bring solid decision-making and planning skills to help benefit the game in Wales. Through my experience and profile I want to help to connect the clubs with the right people both within the Union and outside.
“They need a strong voice and I hope to be their mouthpiece.”
Having played his part in helping to bring the Ryder Cup to Wales in 2010, he certainly knows how to promote and market his country. He sat on the board of the Wales Tourist Board, has chaired government advisory panels and would bring a wealth of experience at both operational and strategic levels after working at a number of commercial companies.
Add in two decades of working in the media, Ieuan Evans MBE is considered a national treasure.
“We have generations of experience and talent embedded at our clubs that could be better harvested,” Evans said. “The countless hours of hard work given freely by volunteers needs to be resourced, supported and encouraged to find new revenue streams through better co-ordinated business development.
“The livelihoods of players, coaches and support staff may be at stake in the professional game, but it is the very fabric of so many communities across Wales that will be under threat if the 300+ clubs struggle to survive.
“The Welsh rugby clubs are at the heart of communities across our nation and need to play a part in its healing and regeneration.”
ROB COLE
