Rugby Union: WRU dispute may backfire: Top officials face inquiry

THE SECRETARY of the Welsh Rugby Union, Denis Evans, and the commercial executive, Jonathan Price, were asked to leave their posts and take an indefinite period of paid leave of absence yesterday, writes Robert Cole. And in the process, the WRU may have side-stepped a very good financial opportunity.

The two top officials, at the centre of a bitter and protracted battle with the Union's treasurer Glanmor Griffiths, will be able to return to their duties once the independent inquiry into allegations made against them by Griffiths is concluded.

The inquiry will start as close as possible to 24 June, but by the time it is finished the Union might well have missed out on quite a coup. Only hours before the General Committee sat down at its special meeting to make its decision it had been revealed that Cardiff Arms Park was the outstanding favourite to stage the world heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno on 25 September.

The man who was in the throes of bringing the pounds 16m title fight to the Welsh capital was Price. A near-pounds 200,000 sponsorship package, much bigger than that offered by Manchester, was the carrot to tempt promoters to bring the fight to Cardiff, but without Price at his desk, the deal may be lost to Wembley.

Plans to bring the rematch between Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn to the Arms Park are also likely to be badly damaged by the Union's decision to suspend Price.