Australian Rugby / RA

[RugbyReg]

But we were told this had nothing to do with centralisation

Read the press release again….

 

[Adam84]

Read the press release again….

Press release;

“This request is not about opposition to Rugby Australia’s centralisation proposals”

 

[Quick Hands]

sic temper tyrannis

Hamish McLennan out of Rugby Australia after late night board meeting

Rugby executives from several states including Queensland had demanded his resignation and were preparing to call an extraordinary general meeting.

www.afr.com

 

[Adam84]

ANALYSIS: McLennan's fatal blind spot, and why his exit leaves Australian rugby in a better place and a worse one

Is there any Australian sport that does a letter quite like rugby does? After months of disquiet about the actions of Rugby Australia chairman…

www.theroar.com.au

Well worth a read.

Little bit in here saying ACT aren’t in a good state and potentially default on a relatively small loan soon. But looking to prevent Rugby Australia opportunism to get the keys to the car

Pretty damming and sad reflection of events for Australian Rugby.

To claim this isn’t about the centralisation is a load of crap and discredited the whole process IMO. The self-serving aspect of this is what has me worried, even as a passionate Queenslander and Reds supporter i’m not aligning with the party line on this one, Hamish was a clown but this process wasn’t the solution either.

Australian Rugby had a shot at centralisation reform for the better, that’s gone now.. at best we will get some watered down shit about ‘greater alignment’ and all the unions will continue plodding along like they have been previously in terminal decline.

 

[Pfitzy]

McClellan should never have become a household name in Australian rugby circles.

Or McLennan!

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

I don’t think PV being in the press helps the game in any way. He’s a solid administrator of an already thriving sport. All that to say, yes he’s in the public eye but to no real benefit so no need to Rugby Australia chairman to also be in the public eye constantly

They love him in the media because he always has the Leagues back and it’s not about him even if it seems like he loves it to a degree. He’s always talking about what the game is actively doing things not just lip service about what’s coming in the pipeline and it never happens.

There is an element of honesty he brings from his approach as well. He says no when that’s the answer. He admits a flaw instead of a long winded empty response.

He’s an outlier and not what a chair needs to be but it’s working for them. I think we need someone who knows how to deliver big events. That’s what we have over the next period of time.

 

[Spamnoodle]

Meh, that's autocorrect for you. Cheap laughs.

 

[molman]

Australian Rugby had a shot at centralisation reform for the better, that’s gone now.. at best we will get some watered down shit about ‘greater alignment’ and all the unions will continue plodding along like they have been previously in terminal decline.

I picked up on the language shift in Herbert's comments to the use of the word alignment, so yes, there may be some truth to the degree for which the unions were ever willing to commit to 'centralisation' and/or what the word even meant to the various unions. Truthfully it was always going to be a fractured mess with some entirely under the umbrella and others not. It's going to be interesting to see if Waugh and co. have the skill to lead the necessary changes.

 

[John S]

you can analyse the ip addresses of where all are fans are from, but plz plz don’t inform my boss

Scott Robertson might not approve? Lol

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

Can someone explain to me why they need commercial centralization?
Is it just for contracting of players?
I think they need high performance, skills, coaching and s&c centralization.
Brumbies are undoubtedly effed financially. Crowds say it all really.
Rebels probably as well
My guess is those three (plus nsw) all go to basically fully centralized and qld holds out while they work financially.
Unsure re wa

 

[LeCheese]

I picked up on the language shift in Herbert's comments to the use of the word alignment, so yes, there may be some truth to the degree for which the unions were ever willing to commit to 'centralisation' and/or what the word even meant to the various unions. Truthfully it was always going to be a fractured mess with some entirely under the umbrella and others not. It's going to be interesting to see if Waugh and co. have the skill to lead the necessary changes.

I could be misremembering, but hasn't the language from RA always been 'strategic alignment', with the media slapping the centralisation tag on it?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Certainly was the term ol maaaate EJ (Eddie Jones) was using.

 

[Rudderless]

2GB Ben Fordham interview with Hamish this morning

Exclusive - Rugby Australia boss breaks silence after being sacked - Ben Fordham Live

omny.fm

 

[PhilClinton]

So it’s looking likely we will at least potentially have Waugh, Herbert and maybe Turinui in the three most senior positions.

Did all three ever play together for the Wallabies? Herbie probably too old.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Waugh and Herbert may have. Not going through team lists but from 2000-2002 they were both in Wallabies squads from what I can see. Turinui from 2003 onwards.

 

[PhilClinton]

The self-serving aspect of this is what has me worried, even as a passionate Queenslander and Reds supporter i’m not aligning with the party line on this one, Hamish was a clown but this process wasn’t the solution either.

If we take away all the legitimate politics behind this move, wasn’t having Hamish in his position doing more harm than good from an optics point of view?

Most of the rugby supporting Australian fans who I’ve spoken to recently have been calling for his head to roll once Eddie’s feet were out the door. HM hitched his wagon to Eddie and his success, and it failed. He also put his neck out for the JS deal and Waugh essentially came out this week and said it was an overspend. His back was against the wall with issues outside anything to do with centralisation.

I’m not saying there is a better solution now, we are still up the creek without a paddle in terms of a clear best path forward, but even this morning the consensus of rugby fans seem to be happy with the result.

 

[stillmissit]

This wasn’t just change for changes sake though.

Rugby needed HM gone now. It’s done and steps can be taken in regards to the Chairman and I hope the rest of the Board.

Let's give him a chance, people thrust into positions they didn't expect can sometimes perform better than the more fancied names.

 

[stillmissit]

He's only interim at the end of the day. Ideally I think we need a completely fresh set of eyes, somebody from outside the state-based system & outside the old boys network. I personally wouldn't mind a female voice either, far too many dumb fragile male egos involved in the game.

If you are male I am sure your mother will applaud your stupid 1970's ideas. Let's just get the best person and not a sex-based affirmative action decision.

 

[Adam84]

If we take away all the legitimate politics behind this move, wasn’t having Hamish in his position doing more harm than good from an optics point of view?

Most of the rugby supporting Australian fans who I’ve spoken to recently have been calling for his head to roll once Eddie’s feet were out the door. HM hitched his wagon to Eddie and his success, and it failed. He also put his neck out for the JS deal and Waugh essentially came out this week and said it was an overspend. His back was against the wall with issues outside anything to do with centralisation.

I’m not saying there is a better solution now, we are still up the creek without a paddle in terms of a clear best path forward, but even this morning the consensus of rugby fans seem to be happy with the result.

You literally cannot remove politics from this discussion, it’s a political issue at its core.

Most supporters are emotive about the Wallabies results, naturally they want him gone for that reason which is understandable. Emotive decisions aren’t necessarily good business though.

My biggest concern is the structure of Australian rugby and the outdated and antiquated federated model that gives states too much power and prevents effective alignment of rugby nationally. This entire issue is political. State unions and individuals at the state unions trying to protect their own (declining) sphere of influence and reach of power.

Clearly rugby is broken, and this parochial shit is only going to further perpetuate the issues of misalignment and structural inefficiencies.

 

[LeCheese]

If nothing else, it serves as a reminder to under promise and over deliver. Hammer, like Eddie, did not.