Maw has previously been British Triathlon's performance director

Graeme Maw, a highly regarded sports scientist, was named as Wales's first elite performance director on Thursday.

The 43-year-old says his lack of rugby background is of no consequence.

But former Wales wing Adrian Hadley said the role should have been given to a "rugby man" familiar with the needs and demands of international rugby.

Interview: Graeme Maw

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"Do we need a sports scientist?" Hadley told BBC Wales Sport.

606: DEBATE As an Iron Man, Maw will be better equipped than most when the knives come out Scrum V's Rick O'Shea

"The elite performance director's role, as (WRU group chief executive) Roger Lewis said, was the most important one that he was going to fill, and surely you'd want a rugby man.

"I don't think it's fitness that's been letting us down in games - it's been able to know when to pass, when to kick, when to play field position, when to keep the game tight and when to close games out.

"There's no point our players being able to bench-press 200 kilograms and run a mile in two minutes if they can't catch, pass and tackle."

Ex-Wales and Lions scrum-half Terry Holmes disagreed, saying that Maw's appointment could prove an "inspired example of thinking outside the box".

Former Wales centre John Devereux echoed Hadley's view, saying the lack of quality in regional rugby over the past year points towards the need for raising basic skills rather than fitness levels.

"Too many players at the top level are missing the basics," Devereux told BBC Radio Wales' Scrum V programme.

"Players are shuffling across the field, they aren't running angles no more and certainly the passing skills could be better.

"You would've thought they would be better because these boys are training twice a day most of the week and working with all sort of coaches."

Nigel Davies was an assistant to sacked Wales coach Gareth Jenkins

Maw arrives in Wales after leaving his position in October last year after five years as the British Triathlon Association's performance director.

He was previously the high performance manager for swimming at the Queensland Academy of Sport in Australia.

The Englishman will work alongside Nigel Davies, who has been tasked with identifying potential Test talent in his new role as head of rugby development, in supporting national head coach Warren Gatland.

And Maw believes his lack of rugby knowledge will have no bearing on his ability to fulfil his task of creating the best possible environment for elite players in Wales.

"My background is strongly in performance management and my track record is in performance management," Maw told BBC Radio Wales' Scrum V programme.

"Systems and structures is what I'm in place to do. I'm absolutely delighted and fully confident in being part of senior team with Nigel and Warren.

"They bring in enormous rugby background to complement my more strategic and scientific skills. I think together we can really make an impact."

The WRU announced in March last year their intention to appoint an elite performance director (EPD), the position mirroring that of Rob Andrew at the Rugby Football Union.

After the disappointing early exit from World Cup, the WRU said that the job was the most important to be filled in the Welsh game.

If you can't get the men you wanted for the position, why do you go for second best and appoint two people? Former Wales winger Adrian Hadley

Lewis was keen to have the new man in place before a coach was named to replace Gareth Jenkins, who was sacked in September after the failure in France.

Former Wales fitness coach Andrew Hore was on the verge of taking the Wales job at the start of October, but negotiations broke down.

This was after former Wales coach Kevin Bowring decided against a return to remain as the RFU's head of elite coach development.

Hore was surprisingly named EPD at Welsh region the Ospreys last month, and Hadley believes the WRU's handing of whole recruitment process leaves a lot to be desired.

"I think the Union has fudged the whole thing," said Hadley.

"If you can't get the men you wanted for the position, why do you go for second best and appoint two people?"

606: DEBATE Maw sounds a great appointment. It was important NOT to employ someone who has grown up with Welsh Rugby. HJ

Lewis, though, says he is entirely convinced he has secured the right men for the job and is satisfied they were appointed in the right manner.

He also dismissed suggestions that the appointment of two men rather than one represented a personal failure in his self-appointed task to find one man to oversee the elite game in Wales.

"It became apparent early on after we started our review of the elite game in Wales that we needed this double expertise here," said Lewis.

"We needed to sharpen the saw, which Graeme will give us, but we also needed that on-the-ground-understanding expertise."