Pair argued after Mr Moffett’s unsuccessful bid to secure vote of no confidence in WRU board
David Moffett, the former chief executive of the WRU, and Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith have engaged in a Twitter spat over the future of regional rugby in Wales.
The tweets took place in the wake of an unsuccessful bid by Mr Moffett to secure a motion of no confidence in the board of the WRU on Sunday.
Mr Moffett had secured sufficient backing to call an extraordinary general meeting of the WRU to debate concerns about the structure and financing of the sport in Wales.
On the day, despite a series of critical speeches from prominent figures like former Wales wing Gerald Davies, only four club representatives voted to oust the WRU leadership headed by chairman David Pickering and chief executive Roger Lewis.
Mr Smith, the MP for Pontypridd, has criticised what he sees as the downgrading of Valleys rugby and called for at least one new region to be created.
Starting the Twitter exchange, Mr Moffett wrote: “Just one more person to expose is Owen Smith who I met for one hour at the beginning, desperate for me to keep quiet about it, which I did. Owen Smith said there was nothing in it for him to support me he was concerned about his electorate if they found out.”
Mr Smith responded: “Behave, David. I told you that I thought you had little chance of success in light of your past WRU intransigence and clubs’ unwillingness to rock the boat. Your manifesto was positive but your record stymied it from the start.”
Mr Moffett hit back with further tweets, in which he said: “You said that and everything else I quoted including your view that Valleys rugby was doomed.
“You are the last person who should lecture others given abject failure of your manifesto for another super club. Where to now for Ponty?”
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