The new head of the Welsh Rugby Union has said he will waste little time in implementing initiatives aimed at improving the state of the game.

David Moffett, the former head of Sport England and New Zealand Rugby Football Union, has become the first group chief executive of the WRU, taking home �200,000 a year.

Just hours into the job, Mr Moffett announced he planned to scrap the existing pitch system at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following widespread criticism after the recent internationals.

The present system uses individual pallets which can be removed for events like concerts and speedway competitions.

He told BBC Radio Wales the system did not work.

If you don't fix the grassroots, then we haven't got a future in the game

David Moffett

"We had some experts in last week talking about what would work.

"We're going to have to lay a normal pitch albeit that is going to have to be replaced two or three times a year.

"But I think once we can get to that, we can make sure the pitch is good all the time."

For the time being, the WRU said the existing pallet-based system would continue.

A new pitch, costing about �180,000, would be laid on top of the pallets for cricket exhibition matches in January, the Six Nations championships and the Wales-Azerbaijan European football qualifier.

Pain

Fifty-five year old David Moffett was born in Doncaster but emigrated to Australia as a child.

Now he has pledged to reverse the ailing fortunes of Wales national side and put it at the forefront of world rugby.

He said his priorities are to increase funding and boost the numbers of people playing the game.

But he warned changes to the structure of rugby in Wales would not come smoothly.

The state of the stadium's pitch has been criticised

"The pain is going to be widespread," he said. "There's definitely going to be pain.

"The WRU is going to go through a lot of change as well because one of my first tasks is to restructure the WRU.

"There's going to be a few redundancies, there's going to be an interest in getting our costs under control so we can look at the whole of Welsh rugby.

"We have the requirements of the Premier League but we also have the issue of the grassroots of rugby in Wales.

"If you don't fix the grassroots, then we haven't got a future in the game."

Pay

Mr Moffett said no player in the lower divisions of the league should be paid, and said there were probably no more than 150 players in Wales who should get wages for playing the game.

"We're currently discussing whether players should be contracted to the union, the clubs or a combination of both," he revealed.

The WRU will also look at the thorny issue of whether to reorganise sides into regional teams rather than clubs.

He said the practice had paid dividends in New Zealand for the national side, where he had been in charge of overseeing the switch.

"What we want to do is put in place a system that is going to allow [the national team] to play to high standards week in, week out," he said.

He also appeared to sound the death knell for the old style of WRU organisation, saying: "Gone are the days of committees running the day-to-day business of the WRU."

WRU group chief executive David Moffett answered BBC News Online readers' questions on the future of Welsh rugby... Q: When is the Millennium Stadium pitch system going to be changed? How can you continue a system which you recognise produces an embarrassingly substandard pitch? The intention to continue with the current pallet nonsense looks like classic WRU indolence and foot-dragging.
Howard Jones, Wales

A: "There are short-term and long-term solutions. In the short-term, there will be a brand-new pitch for the Six Nations which is of the type used for FA Cup Finals in the past. In the long term, there will probably be a review and replacement of the pallet system."

Q: How much power do you ultimately possess when your role is an advisory one? Part of what needs changing is the WRU itself, but surely your 'advice' to them to radically change and restructure will be about as welcome as a poke in the eye? What if they choose to ignore your advice; what would you do then?
Dean Bainbridge, Wales

A: "The post is not an advisory one. It is a hands-on role, as is any CEO in a business environment. The role is in formulating and implementing policy."

Q: There are simply not enough good players to warrant the number of teams playing at the top level. Four or five collective teams need to be established. How will you aim to combat club bosses who will endeavour to protect their own club interests? How will you deal with "traditional" supporters who would rather stay at home than watch a collective team play.
Mark Davies, Wales

A: "The issue that we have to come to grips with is putting Welsh rugby first. Everybody has to ask what is in the best interests of Welsh rugby."

Q: How do you hope to affect efficient implementation of any strategies you may decide upon, given the committee culture of the WRU?
Michael L, Wales

A: "Because we are developing a new structure with a board, decisions won't be made by committees - that is the past, what I am trying to achieve is the future."

Q: It sounds excellent that you intend to stop lower-league clubs paying players as I am sure that is where a lot of Welsh rugby's money dribbles away. How do you intend to do this, when it is these same lower-league clubs that have the voting power to veto such reforms? Also, do you advocate a centrally contracted pool of professional players, as per NZ?
Richard Davies, Wales

A: "Market forces will ultimately dictate contracts - as the game is currently structured and administered, we just can't afford it."

Q: Do you have any thoughts on whether a provincial structure will benefit the game in Wales?
Vince Harris, Wales

A: "It would be a huge benefit because it would concentrate our resources. We have to realise that the small pool of players that we have can't sustain the competitive level of rugby we need."