Review of the Appointment and Departure of the RFU CEO

Blackett Review

Paul Murphy Chairman of the RFU has released the following for all clubs to read and be aware of. (The link to the full report is at the bottom of the page)

Dear Colleague

Review of the Appointment and Departure of the RFU CEO (The Blackett Review)

Following the departure of the former RFU Chief Executive Officer John Steele, the RFU Council requested a review of the background to the affair so that lessons could be learned for the future. The review was presented to Council on the 10th July when some of the recommendations were addressed. The remainder were debated at the Council meeting held on the 2nd September.

The review is being made available directly to the RFU’s members via email to club secretaries, Constituent Bodies and National Governing Bodies with the report attached as a printable PDF.

It is important to stress that the RFU has not become a poor organisation and the lessons learned from the events of the last few months will make us stronger. Mistakes have been made and some things could have been done better, but the important point is take appropriate action to ensure they are not repeated.

We are taking positive steps to do that and have already addressed a number of the issues raised by the review.

A new chairman has been appointed until the next annual general meeting; we have established a clear timeline for the appointment of a new CEO before the end of 2011; and we aim to have two Non Executive Directors in place before the end of October.

The Board and Council have commissioned an external audit – undertaken by leading legal practitioners Slaughter & May – which will measure the RFU’s against the highest standards of best practice in sports governance.

Contained in the PDF of the review is a summary of the actions. I hope you will see that we are moving forward and dealing with all the issues identified.

Should you have any questions about the review you should in the first instance raise them with your RFU Council Representative. He or she will forward any that they are unable to answer to Twickenham for a response.

The last two months have not cast the RFU in a good light with its stakeholders. I am sorry that this has happened and that the reputation of the game has suffered. But I hope that when you see the progress we are making you will have confidence in the future.
I would like to pay tribute to the RFU’s professional staff, who have continued to support the development of rugby throughout the country with skill and dedication despite the uncertainties of recent weeks. I would also like to thank the review panel for their hard work and Council for their deliberation on the report.

Together we can help the game thrive at every level, from the grassroots clubs to the inspiring senior England side we will all be getting behind at the Rugby World Cup.

Yours faithfully

Paul Murphy
Chairman

To see the full report click here