DAVID Moffett is back in Welsh rugby. He has agreed to act as chief executive for a newly established body called Regional Rugby Wales set up by the four Welsh regions.

The purpose of the new organisation is to establish a body who can negotiate with the WRU on a whole raft of issues, not just over the dispute about the release of players ahead of the autumn internationals.

The regions have turned to Moffett to represent them in a shock move which will inevitably cast him in a poacher turned gamekeeper role.

For the former Welsh Rugby Union group chief executive will now be negotiating with them, representing the regions which he set up six years ago.

And in a further irony one of the regions he will represent - Newport Gwent Dragons - he recently called a basket case.

In a statement the new body says, "It has become clear a stronger partnership approach to the running and administration of professional rugby in Wales is now required.

"Other nations including England and France have met similar challenges by creating progressive partnerships between the professional tiers and their respective governing bodies, and we believe such an approach in Welsh rugby is long overdue."

Moffett said, "The establishment of Regional Rugby Wales by the four Welsh regions is a highly positive step and one I'm sure the WRU will welcome.

"The regions have quite rightly recognised that like other nations the key to future success of the game lies in a professional partnership for the overall success of the game.

"I have no doubt that with a true partnership effort by the time of the Six Nations we can achieve an outcome that will take Wales forward to ever greater success."

Moffett added, "I would like the WRU to see this as a positive move. The first thing the regions wanted was to put themselves on a level playing field with England and France about the pooling of resources, for example the academies working properly, sponsorship and other rights across the board.

"I'm the interim chief executive to get it going. The situation is not at its healthiest as there have been 14 meetings with the WRU and no resolution so they came to me out of the blue to see if there was a way forward."

He claimed there had been no advice given to the regions about the extra release of players when up to the World Cup last year they release them for extra periods anyway.

"I'll be working hard to get parity and fairness with the other regions and they should see something with my experience of Welsh rugby. We could have had a new participation agreement in two or three weeks but it hasn't been done," he said.