“I am sitting here at the start of a journey for myself and I’m delighted to take up the position. It is a great honour to be selected for this position and one in which I am looking forward to.

“I am under no illusions that this is a great challenge. I have no illusions that there will be a lot to take on board and to try and learn and I’m also confident the experience I have in rugby over the past 26 years will stand me in good stead and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead.”

After capturing Lydon’s signature for the post, a delighted Lewis said: “I promised you something special. I promised you we would take our time and I promised you we would make sure we would get it right and with this man I know we have got the right man.

“We have appointed Joe not only for his innate technical understanding and insight into rugby and elite sport but also for his outstanding management experience and ability to administer the game at the very highest level.

“Joe will be at the forefront of our team in taking forward the rugby thinking – we’ve got an absolute rugby expert with the highest level within executive board of the union.”

WRU Chairman David Pickering, added: “We were delighted earlier this week to be voted the best rugby union in the world. The best run union in the world needs the best talent and that’s the path we have gone down over the last five or six years.

“Once again we have got the very best here and Joe is the best appointment we could have possibly made. We took various references from key people in the game, people of standing and integrity and the reports we had back about Joe were absolutely exemplary.

“I know our clubs will view this appointment with great glee as here is a man who has come from the grass roots and understands rugby union. Joe will be a fantastic addition to our team and I’m confident together we will take Welsh rugby forward yet again. We got very best man on the world stage and we are delighted.”