The Ospreys have chosen the two men who will run the club as it moves into St Helen’s, and both come from inside the building.
Dan Griffiths has been appointed Head of Rugby and Richard Lancaster becomes Managing Director (Business), in a new leadership structure the club says takes effect immediately.
The appointments land at a defining moment. The Ospreys and the Scarlets are in direct competition for the last west Wales licence under the WRU’s three-team plan, and the restructure comes weeks after Alun Wyn Jones joined the board.
Board director Roger Blyth said the pair had shown “the leadership, commitment and understanding of the Ospreys that we need as we enter an important period for the club”.
“We felt strongly that they were the right people to promote from within, maintaining continuity and momentum while giving them the authority to lead the organisation forward,” he said.
Their briefs are split, business and rugby, but Blyth said “the success of each is intrinsically linked to the other”.
The pair will be supported by the locally based members of the main Ospreys board, Blyth, Alun Wyn Jones and Rob Davies, who the club says will provide strategic oversight.
Sixteen years on the inside
Griffiths steps up after 16 years with the Ospreys, most recently as Rugby General Manager, where he oversaw the academy and senior environment and led on player recruitment and retention.
“Having been part of the Ospreys for 16 years, I am incredibly proud to have the opportunity to further develop my role,” he said.
On the squad, he said the club felt it had “a good balance” of young talent and quality recruitment complementing an established core. “The group has strong connections to our local clubs and communities, the people we represent, and we are working hard as a collective to give our supporters a team to be proud of.”
Lancaster moves up from Commercial Director, having led the club’s commercial strategy and played a central role in the relationship with Swansea Council and the St Helen’s plans.
His new role covers the responsibilities that come with running the club’s own venue, and he will represent the Ospreys at the Professional Rugby Board and with the WRU, the URC and European rugby’s organisers.
“It’s a privilege to take on this responsibility at such an important point in the Ospreys’ history,” Lancaster said. “Having a home of our own creates opportunities commercially and operationally, but just as importantly it gives us the chance to bring the Ospreys closer to our supporters and our community.”
Both men pointed to their long history working together. “A successful rugby organisation needs both sides pulling in the same direction, and that’s exactly what we intend to do,” Lancaster said.
The Ospreys return to St Helen’s this season after a year in Bridgend, with the first home fixture against the Dragons on 24 October. Blyth called the move “a major opportunity” to create “a genuine home for the club”.
Discover more from Swansea Bay News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
