The Rugby Football Union has refused to follow the Football Association in committing to a deadline to make 30 per cent of its board female.

The RFU was planning to adhere to the letter – though not necessarily the spirit – of the Government’s Code for Sports Governance by agreeing to “adopt a target, and take all appropriate actions to encourage, a minimum of 30 per cent of each gender on its board”.

The union, which last year overtook the FA to become the country’s biggest money-making national governing body, is arguably even less diverse than its football counterpart and in just as much danger of being stripped of millions of pounds of public money if it fails to address that.

The RFU is currently recruiting a new non-executive director who is expected to be a woman, which would take female representation on its board to three out of 13 – still one short of 30 per cent.

The union said on Tuesday that it was developing a plan to improve diversity over time but refused to commit to a timetable for achieving the desired percentage.