Aussie Pro Rugby
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Occasionally I agree with Peter Fitzsimons.
This is one of those times.
Little logic in big statement from Wallabies captains bashing Rugby Australia
The letter criticising the RA administration, signed by 11 former Australia skippers, is long on complaint and short on solutions.
Little logic in big statement from Wallabies captains bashing Rugby Australia
Peter FitzSimons
Peter FitzSimons
Columnist and author
April 22, 2020 — 6.30pmGoodness!
The last time a dozen good men and true – former Australian rugby captains – put their name to a public letter was when the Australian Rugby Union was under attack from the forces of Kerry Packer in 1995 as the game went professional. I know a bit about that public plea - aimed at getting the Wallabies, led by captain Phil Kearns, to stay loyal to the ARU - because I wrote it. The basic idea was that, for all its sins in that supremely difficult time, the ARU was the bearer of the torch for Australian rugby and deserved support.
Not this letter though, which bears many of the same signatories.
Put together by my dear friend Nick Farr-Jones and signed by 10 others, including such famous Australian rugby figures as Kearns, George Gregan and Michael Lynagh, the letter released on Tuesday evening does not defend Rugby Australia.
Rather, it bitterly criticises the whole operation. It calls upon the current board and administration to stand down, go away and throw the keys to a new crew as yet unnamed – with the promise that those who go might be allowed back if they go quietly – but very likely involving some of those very same signatories.
"In recent times, the Australian game has lost its way," these Wallabies captains said. "It is a defeat inflicted not by COVID-19, or an on-field foe, but rather by poor administration and leadership over a number of years. We speak as one voice when we say Australian rugby needs new vision, leadership and a plan for the future. That plan must involve, as a priority, urgent steps to create a much-needed, sustainable, commercial rugby business."
This, as it turns out, was just the warm-up before the main game.
"It is with this in mind we ask the current administration to heed our call and stand aside to allow the game to be transformed so we emerge from this pandemic with a renewed sense of unity and purpose. There is only one question that needs to be answered at club level, at state level and at national level: Is this decision in the best interests of Australian rugby?"
Right.
These are singularly good men, with only the best interests of Australian rugby at heart. I know and admire every man-jack of them. But if your starting point is what is in the best interests of Australian rugby, can I, gentlemen, refer you to the words of Sir John Kirwan a fortnight ago when the first flurry of criticism from famed Wallabies made it into the public domain. Tell ’em what you said, Sir John: "They should be working together. As ex-All Blacks, we very rarely go outside with our criticism before we’ve said it inside ... Some of these famous ex-Wallabies maybe need to knock on [Raelene Castle’s] door or have a Zoom, and just say, ‘These are my concerns and these are my solutions’."
Bingo. I - and I might add the many Wallabies captains I talked to on Wednesday who refused to sign – concur with that sentiment.
The letter is seriously long on complaint and singularly short on solutions.
Australian rugby has lost its way? Absolutely. As a game we are, as the saying goes, on the bones of our arse and make rugby league’s finances look like they have the glowing, rosy red cheeks of good health. I have urged Rugby Australia to put more money into the grassroots game and less into the professional end, and have been saying so for 25 years. But blow the whole thing up? Publicly say that the value of any broadcast deal is unbankable? Imply that the people running the show don’t have the first clue what they are doing?
helping? How does this fit with "acting in the best interests of Australian rugby?"
And how is it fair to the good rugby people of recent times who have given their all to get the game back on track? Rugby Australia chairman Paul McLean is as good a man as you’d find in six days march in any direction, with great and proven business acumen. Ditto recent board members like John Eales, Brett Robinson and current member Phil Waugh. Double ditto recent chairman Cameron Clyne, who is rugby to the marrow of his bones, a former CEO of NAB, who, like all of them, did the job for nothing but a love of the game.
At a time when these fine rugby people are circling the wagons, what is the angle in setting those wagons alight? I can’t see it.
Solutions they offered?
I couldn’t see any of those either – but it would surprise me if it included a starting point of burning the said circled wagons.
The one demand they made was "for the game's finances to be made available at a special general meeting no later than April 30."
In receipt of the letter including that demand at 3.04pm on Tuesday, McLean replied at 4.19pm saying, very mildly, no need to wait that long.
"I have received the letter (and happy to share with our board), and would invite this group to meet with RA at any time to interrogate all the materials they wish, as encapsulated in points 1. and 2. of your letter. RA is happy to supply this information without the need for you to request it via the media. I would welcome the signatories at any time, to discuss any of these matters."
He never heard back and the letter went public anyway.
It will go down as one more upsetting episode in a very upsetting era for rugby. In the meantime, my deepest admiration goes to the likes of McLean – a former Wallabies captain – who soldiers on, giving an even greater service to the game now than he did on the field. What he and his administration deserve right now is support. Rugby has indeed lost its way. But the way back needs unity, not public squabbling.
@Peter_Fitz
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I find Kearns behaviour interesting. The reality is Raelene has caught the hospital pass of all hospital passes. She's had the Folau saga, a loose cannon Wallaby coach, a World Cup year to truly ruin the game's finances (as happens every four years) and now a global pandemic.
If I were Phil, I'd be quietly jumping for joy I missed out on the CEO gig last time because the reality is I would do virtually nothing differently. But also I'd keep my mouth shut and allow others to do my bidding for me while stating my full support for the current admin. In time, the job will come to you.
It's what Rudd did to Gillard, what Turnbull did to Abbott.
But for a man who is supposedly a very sharp operator in the business world, I can't say his tactics have been great here. Still might get him the gig though so what would I know.
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@Paekakboyz said in Aussie Rugby:
@junior I caught a snippet in the news that Kearns knows of at least a hundred folks or organisations willing to invest in Australian rugby... I'm wondering why those people would hang their decision on whether Kearns is CE when they are about to hit rock bottom. Castle hasn't been stellar but she's done some good things from what I've read, including commentary from our Oz ferners - her balance sheet might be in the red overall but it increasingly feels like a Kearns revenge crusade after being jilted for the role - aided and abetted by an old boys club.
One other significant player that has just come to mind is Twiggy. I wonder to what extent Kearns has reached out to him and / or made getting his money a plank of his plans.
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The beleaguered rugby boss called interim chairman Paul McLean on Thursday evening to hand in her resignation.
Embattled Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle has resigned. On Thursday evening the embattled chief executive telephoned interim chairman Paul McLean to hand in her resignation. She said in a statement provided to the ABC: "I love rugby on every level and I will always love the code and the people I have had the honour of working with since I took this role. I made it clear to the board that I would stand up and take the flack and do everything possible to serve everyone’s best interests. "In the last couple of hours, it has been made clear to me that the board believes my no longer being CEO would help give them the clear air they believe they need. The game is bigger than any one individual - so this evening I told the Chair that I would resign from the role. "I will do whatever is needed to ensure an orderly handover. I wish the code and everyone who loves rugby nothing but the best and I would like to thank the people I work with and the broader rugby community for their enormous support." -
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From SMH.
Wiggs and World Cup-winning Wallaby Daniel Herbert would be the most qualified.
Wiggs runs private equity firm Archer Capital and is chair of Supercars after Archer >bought the business for a reported $180 million from SEL in 2011. It is now reportedly >worth about half its purchase price and is in the middle of difficult broadcast negotiations to renew its deal with Fox Sports and Ten.
Wiggs looks a good fit. Highlighted three sentences.
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@Duluth said in Aussie Rugby:
The beleaguered rugby boss called interim chairman Paul McLean on Thursday evening to hand in her resignation.
Embattled Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle has resigned.Good.
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@Mick-Gold-Coast-QLD - glad to see her go due to her performance? or for the agitators to now have to front up and deal with the aftermath etc?
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@Paekakboyz said in Aussie Rugby:
@Mick-Gold-Coast-QLD - glad to see her go due to her performance? or for the agitators to now have to front up and deal with the aftermath etc?
Bracing for an essay on "good rugby men"
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@MajorRage said in Aussie Rugby:
Wiggs runs private equity firm Archer Capital and is chair of Supercars after Archer >bought the business for a reported $180 million from SEL in 2011. It is now reportedly >worth about half its purchase price and is in the middle of difficult broadcast negotiations to renew its deal with Fox Sports and Ten.
Wiggs looks a good fit. Highlighted three sentences.
Fuck. PERFECT for the Murdochracy.
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@Duluth said in Aussie Rugby:
So is Rennie going to be coach still? He threatened to quit recently.. or was that a tactic to soften a virus related pay cut?
He said it was because he only took the job after direct discussions with Castle around how things would run.
I wonder if he can get out? -
@Crucial said in Aussie Rugby:
@Duluth said in Aussie Rugby:
So is Rennie going to be coach still? He threatened to quit recently.. or was that a tactic to soften a virus related pay cut?
He said it was because he only took the job after direct discussions with Castle around how things would run.
I wonder if he can get out?I wonder if he's already out. The place is fucking rudderless, with no CEO, no TV deal (as the Foxpuppets are so ready to exclaim), and in a few months, no Chairman.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
@Crucial said in Aussie Rugby:
@Duluth said in Aussie Rugby:
So is Rennie going to be coach still? He threatened to quit recently.. or was that a tactic to soften a virus related pay cut?
He said it was because he only took the job after direct discussions with Castle around how things would run.
I wonder if he can get out?I wonder if he's already out. The place is fucking rudderless, with no CEO, no TV deal (as the Foxpuppets are so ready to exclaim), and in a few months, no Chairman.
That TV deal with Fox can’t be too far off now ....
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@Nepia said in Aussie Rugby:
That TV deal with Fox can’t be too far off now ....
With no CEO? Not sure what the deal is. But it can't be a huge cut in value because players get a mandated percentage and they'll blow up deluxe if there are serious cuts.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
@Nepia said in Aussie Rugby:
That TV deal with Fox can’t be too far off now ....
With no CEO? Not sure what the deal is. But it can't be a huge cut in value because players get a mandated percentage and they'll blow up deluxe if there are serious cuts.
You’re no fun, I’ve got a conspiracy theory that this was all a Murdoch master plan to get the rights for cheaper (With fox sports dribbler Kearns as CEO) and keep Optus out of it.
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