Wales

David Pickering - 'We must not shoot ourselves in the foot, we must work together' © Getty Images

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Welsh board chairman David Pickering has again called for peace in the ongoing row between the WRU and the regions, revealing there are more talks planned for later this week.

The often bitter dispute has overshadowed much of the season, with the board under constant fire for its handling of the domestic teams.

"We must not shoot ourselves in the foot, we must work together … all of us," Pickering said. "We;ve settled the European Cup and the Pro12 competitions, and we will do everything we can to resolve the issue with our regions."

Unlike the often vitriolic exchanges which have been a hallmark of the row, Pickering was at pains to show a conciliatory approach. "People … have invested a great deal of money in the regions and Welsh rugby. We want to do a deal with the regions and will do everything we can to facilitate it. It's very important to us because they are an integral part of our structure.

"We want all our regions to be competitive but the one thing we can't do is bankrupt the union. We are only a small country and there's only a certain amount of money here."

Turning to the challenge to his leadership by former chief executive David Moffett, Pickering said: "Before I became chairman we hadn't won anything for 27 years. My record speaks for itself. I have delivered that over the past 10 years. Look at my record - the debt is reduced by some £50 million and we have won the Grand Slam and [Six Nations] championship four times."