Ground-breaking Griffin Takes Over As Rfu President

Deborah Griffin became nan first female to beryllium president of nan Rugby Football Union successful its 154-year history connected Friday, pinch a ngo to thrust translator wrong nan sport.

Her caller domiciled is nan culmination of a life dedicated to rugby which has seen her move from subordinate to administrator and now into nan astir elder backroom domiciled successful nan English game.

She first picked up nan athletics astatine assemblage and nan erstwhile Richmond player's passion for rugby was instantaneous.

"I conscionable thought this was nan astir astonishing point I'd ever done, I conscionable loved nan game," she said.

"It's fixed maine truthful overmuch that I only ever want different group to person nan aforesaid thing."

The dedication to giving others nan chance to acquisition nan aforesaid rewards is clear from her singular rugby CV.

She was a founding personnel of nan past Women's Rugby Football Union successful 1983, 1 of 4 women who organised nan first women's Rugby World Cup successful 1991, she became nan first female connected nan RFU Council successful 2010 and nan first elected female RFU Board personnel successful 2014.

A qualified chartered accountant, she spent 9 years connected nan RFU Audit Committee and besides represented nan English governing assemblage arsenic a personnel of nan World Rugby Council.

She was awarded an OBE successful 2011 for services to women's rugby and 1 of her first responsibilities arsenic RFU president will beryllium nan fast-approaching Women's Rugby World Cup.

"It's not conscionable astir nan women playing, you know, it's astir nan full game," she said.

"The venues will beryllium joyous, and I conscionable deliberation it's a awesome opportunity to show group our awesome game."

Griffin is travelling to nan tourney successful a unsocial way, driving to games successful her campervan and staying astatine campsites.

"My girl is coming pinch me. She lives successful New York, and only gets 3 weeks vacation a year, truthful I person to make judge I've sewage campsites pinch bully wi-fi, because she'll beryllium moving from nan camper van for nan duration," Griffin said.

Griffin precocious met pinch England's women astatine their training guidelines arsenic they hole for nan World Cup.

There has been overmuch talk astir nan Red Roses emulating nan occurrence of England's shot Lionesses, who person conscionable go back-to-back European champions.

The Red Roses person won 25 games successful a statement and will spell into nan tourney connected location ungraded arsenic favourites - but contempt reaching nan past six World Cup finals they person only erstwhile came retired arsenic world champions.

"There's my heart, which evidently hopes that they're lifting that trophy astatine nan extremity of nan tournament," said Griffin.

"But you know, I conscionable person to stay pragmatic. I've seen capable World Cup finals to cognize that it doesn't ever spell pinch nan form."

While nan World Cup will predominate Griffin's early days, travel nan autumn nan RFU's governance betterment will return to nan headlines.

After a tumultuous play past season, erstwhile RFU main executive Bill Sweeney survived a ballot of nary confidence, her domiciled will attraction connected helping English rugby evolve.

"I do judge that each parts of nan crippled want america to germinate and amended our governance," she said.

"That's really, really important - and a batch of that is successful consequence to societal changes. The world doesn't guidelines still, and neither tin we.

"It won't move arsenic accelerated arsenic group possibly deliberation it should, but past I don't deliberation that's a problem.

"We won't person different awesome governance review, astir apt for different 10 years aliases more. So it's really, really important - I'd alternatively get this right."

The results of nan governance reappraisal will spell to nan RFU Council successful nan autumn but activity connected giving much devolved powerfulness to different regions could travel sooner.

Having visited clubs crossed England successful her erstwhile roles pinch nan RFU, she wants nan national to go much agile and responsive to each region's needs.

"I deliberation group want to person much power complete conversations and decisions that are being made regionally," she said.

"One solution for Cumbria is not nan aforesaid arsenic nan solution for Hampshire. We've been moving connected this for respective years successful position of really we tin make those decisions, peculiarly astir nan maturation of rugby astatine much section levels.

"We person to move connected pinch that regionalisation, and nan governance has to beryllium aligned pinch that. You can't do everything each astatine once. So we very overmuch want to get nan regionalisation nether measurement successful nan adjacent season."