Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan was sacked on Sunday night because the state unions proceed to battle over main centralisation plans for the game.
McLennan had rejected a name from six rebellious state unions to resign by 5pm Sunday, earlier than a rare common assembly voted him out, as first reported by The Australian.
The businessman might be changed instantly by former Wallaby Dan Herbert, with McLennan opting to give up the board solely moderately than stay as a director.
It comes after Rugby Australia’s plan to centralise the construction of the game within the wake of the World Cup catastrophe, with Rugby Australia to create a united excessive efficiency program and successfully take cost of the Super Rugby franchises’ business features.
NSW Rugby and Rugby Victoria supported the plan, as did Andrew and Nicola Forrest who personal the Western Force.
McLennan additionally had the help of John Coates, the influential former Australian Olympic Committee boss.
But there have been widespread criticisms of the plan – and of McLennan and his judgement. Chief among the many criticisms of McLennan was his ‘captain’s choose’ of Eddie Jones because the Wallabies coach, changing Dave Rennie months earlier than the 2023 World Cup.
McLennan was despatched a damning letter of no confidence by the Queensland, ACT, West Australian, South Australia, Tasmanian and Northern Territory state unions.
That letter, on Friday, labelled McLennan’s actions ‘arrogant’.
It wrote: “We do not believe Mr McLennan has been acting in the best interests of our game.
“We no longer have any trust or faith in his leadership, or the direction in which he is taking
rugby in Australia.
“Additionally, we believe Mr McLennan has been acting outside his role as a director,
exerting an undue influence on the operations and executives of Rugby Australia.
“This is not the best practice governance that we expect from leaders in our game.”
It added: “This request is not about opposition to Rugby Australia’s centralisation proposals – we remain committed to supporting high-performance alignment.
“This is instead a deep concern about the performance of Mr McLennan as Chair, and the damage done to the game by his performance.”
Herbert, the brand new Rugby Australia chief, was a 67-cap Wallaby who performed a key function in Australia’s 1999 Rugby World Cup victory, and was famend for his function as one of many world’s most interesting outdoors centres.
After retiring, Herbert was concerned within the Queensland Reds’ business aspect in addition to sportswear model Skins, and can be the CEO of property providers firm, SSKB.
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
