There’s a diploma of irony concerning the circumstances of Cunningham’s departure given he was appointed after a scathing inside assessment into the ladies’s sport, Rowland Phillips’ unexplained departure and the disastrous appointment of Warren Abrahams who lasted solely 4 months.
A former Scarlets ahead, Cunningham instantly galvanised the squad and oversaw the primary skilled contracts for feminine gamers in Wales.
In his first season, he guided Wales to their greatest exhibiting within the Six Nations since 2009 earlier than repeating that feat a 12 months later on the peak of his tenure.
Wales rose to an all-time excessive world rating of sixth and secured their place within the prime tier of a brand new international match, WXV1.
However 2024 has seen a dramatic downturn as Wales completed final within the Six Nations and regardless of profitable a pleasant in opposition to Australia, they managed only one victory at WXV2 this summer time and are all the way down to tenth on the planet rankings.
That was regardless of new contracts for 37 Wales gamers that was heralded by the WRU as among the many most profitable on the planet sport.
Nevertheless it has since emerged that these contracts talks, which concerned Cunningham, had turned so bitter that gamers had threatened to strike forward of September’s pleasant in opposition to Scotland.
In response, WRU despatched an electronic mail to gamers, seen by the BBC, giving a three-hour deadline to signal or be withdrawn from WXV2 and, subsequently, subsequent 12 months’s World Cup.
WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood mentioned the scenario had probably been a significant factor in outcomes on the sphere.
“There was a whole lot of stress concerned within the course of which was pointless, and I believe the efficiency was affected,” he mentioned.
“Folks have been distracted and that’s our duty.”