Phil de Glanville joins RFU board

Former England captain, Phil de Glanville, has joined the Rugby Football Union Board as the senior RFU representative on the Professional Game Board (PGB).

The 49 year old has become the RFU representative after His Honour Judge Jeff Blackett’s term as PGB chairman came to an end last month.

De Glanville has been a member of the RFU Council since 2017 serving as the Student RFU representative.

Having played centre for Durham University while an Economics and Politics student, de Glanville then won a Blue at Oxford, as well as representing England U21s. He played 189 times and scored 53 tries for Bath in a 12 year career with the club which also saw him captain them to a league and cup double in 1996 , the season he also served as England captain. Bath also won the European Cup in 1998.

In all he won 38 England caps in his seven years in the England squad, including both World Cups in 1995 and 1999.

He was Director of Elite Sport at Hartpury College, and has previously worked at Sport England as Head of Delivery, and then as an NGB Relationship Manager, being responsible for Sport England’s relationships with five national governing bodies, including the RFU.

De Glanville, who now works as an associate at the Bristol and London executive search firm Hanover Fox, said: “I am delighted to be joining the main RFU board in my capacity as the senior RFU representative on the PGB.

“This is an exciting time to be involved in the leadership of the game in England. Rugby will always be in my blood, and I am delighted to be able to make a contribution to the development of the game going forward.”

The PGB was formed in 2008 under the Heads of Agreement (now the Professional Game Agreement) between the RFU and Premiership Rugby and the individual clubs.

Its remit is to monitor and manage all issues to do with playing professional rugby in England, ranging from season structure to player welfare.