DAVID Moffett, the interim chief executive of Regional Rugby Wales, has launched an astonishing attack on Welsh Rugby Union group chief executive Roger Lewis.

The International Rugby Board yesterday ruled they had no powers to intervene in a domestic dispute between the WRU and the four regions over the release of players.

Wales Grand Slam winning coach Warren Gatland had asked for squad players to be released 13 days before the game against South Africa at the Millennium Stadium on November 8, but the regions refused, partly because it would have meant them missing the final EDF Energy Cup pool matches and partly because they were disillusioned over what they saw as an unwillingness to negotiate a new participation agreement.

Gatland then proposed a compromise suggesting the players be released for three days next week, returned to their regions for the EDF games and then returned to him on the Monday before the international.

The regions turned that down as well, so Gatland and the WRU asked the IRB for a ruling, hoping they would intervene in their favour. But a three-man IRB regulations committee ruled they had no jurisdiction.

The WRU press office then made a statement saying they would contact the four regions again asking them to honour what they called ‘their contractual obligations and release all Wales international squad players for training from Monday 27th October.’ That provoked a furious response from Moffett who stormed: “After two days of calling on Roger Lewis to get round a table so we can strike a solution to this issue, to now just get a mealy-mouthed statement from the WRU press office is a disgrace, and it’s taken an IRB ruling to get even that.

“Now is the time when Roger Lewis should be demonstrating his leadership skills and joining us in reaching for an agreement.

“I’ve phoned him and I’ve invited him to enter into constructive dialogue with me on behalf of the regions, but his silence is deafening.”

Moffett threatened to try to bypass Lewis.

“I understand he’s under a bit of pressure at the moment both at work and at home, but Roger is the reason we are where we are today,” he alleged.

“He needs to step up to the plate and start acting like a chief executive so we can agree a way out of this, otherwise he needs to get out of the way so we can get this thing dealt with quickly by someone else at the WRU.”

The WRU then issued a further statement via Roger Lewis which said that a draft participation agreement document was being finalised running to over 100 pages and all parties were expected to sign up before next June.

“It is important for me to explain that timeline now because there has been a flurry of unfortunate comment which we know has created confusion for many people,” he said.

“I want the rugby public of Wales to note that we will not be distracted from achieving a participation agreement which will operate as an effective and exciting roadmap to take our game forward and make it stronger.”