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Former prop Cerys Hale hopes her ex-Wales team-mates have received their last apology from the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) after being “let down” again by the governing body.<\/b><\/p>\n
WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood and chief executive Abi Tierney pledged an apology for the way contract negotiations were conducted with the national women’s squad.<\/p>\n
In an email, seen by the BBC, players were threatened with withdrawal from WXV2 and, subsequently, next year\u2019s World Cup as talks broke down.<\/p>\n
They were issued with a “final offer” ultimatum on 2 August, saying if they did not sign within a three-hour deadline, planned matches against New Zealand, Scotland and Australia would not go ahead and the contracts would be withdrawn.<\/p>\n
The new claims of sexism and inequality came less than a year after a damning independent review<\/a> into the WRU’s culture following a BBC Wales investigation.<\/p>\n Hale said she was surprised by the latest revelations, saying “fundamentally, the players have been let down.<\/p>\n But she accepts “the union have made strides to making things better”.<\/p>\n Hale also acknowledged the governing body reacted “swiftly” to say sorry on this occasion, telling BBC Sport Wales: “It is frustrating to see them say that they have another apology to issue so hopefully it’ll be the last.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n