The Welsh Rugby Union has appointed Belinda Moore as its new head of women’s rugby.

The union announced that it would introduce a women’s game lead – the first role of its kind at the governing body – after being embroiled in a scandal involving the treatment of its female players last year.

It comes after a Telegraph Sport investigation revealed the union threatened to withdraw its women’s team from the 2025 Rugby World Cup if players did not sign new contracts. Ioan Cunningham stepped down as the team’s head coach as a result of the contracting chaos, while executive director of rugby Nigel Walker left the organisation weeks later.

The off-field saga prompted a review, which the WRU published last month. It described the negotiations as “a process, governance and leadership failing”, with the creation of the new women’s lead role one of the key recommendations.

The WRU said this position would provide “new and clear lines of responsibilities to be established throughout the management team and high-performance structure” at the governing body.

Moore will set and implement strategy for the women’s national team, as well as directly manage the new Wales women head coach.

“The senior game in Wales has been professional for just three short years and is progressing and advancing at an exponential rate,” said Moore.

“These swift advancements of course come with their own teething problems and my eyes are wide open in terms of the challenge ahead, but I am hugely optimistic about what can be achieved.”

Moore resigned from her post as chief executive of Premiership Women’s Rugby last October, just one week into the new season, to “focus on other opportunities”.

Her unexpected departure came 22 months into her tenure, although during her time at the helm of PWR she did secure the league’s broadcast deal with TNT Sports.

Telegraph Sport understands the WRU has interviewed several candidates for the women’s head coach role currently in position at PWR clubs. An announcement is expected to be made in the coming days, with the Women’s Six Nations starting in late March and the Women’s Rugby World Cup taking place in England in August and September.