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"NSW cut in two as pros go it alone
* Wayne Smith
* From: The Australian
* June 07, 2010 12:00AM
ILL Jephcott couldn't see very far through the haze that hung over Beijing yesterday.
But he was clear-sighted about what lies ahead in his new role as chairman of the NSW Rugby Union.
The final act in the drawn-out process of splitting NSW rugby into two separate entities to run the professional and community arms of the game was acted out yesterday when Ed Zemancheff stepped down from his position to concentrate on his new role as Waratahs Rugby Limited chairman and Jephcott was unanimously elected as his replacement in a telephone vote.
Constitutionally, it was not possible for Zemancheff to take charge of the professional wing, the Waratahs, while remaining as boss of the NSWRU which will administer such affiliated bodies as sub-districts, NSW Country, juniors and the Sydney clubs.
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Speaking from Beijing, Jephcott, who played more than 100 first-grade games for Gordon and represented NSW in 1973, told The Australian the issues of a third-tier competition and a clear pathway for Sydney's western suburbs would be major priorities for NSW Rugby.
"At the moment clubs are a mix of the social and the aspirational and that probably hasn't led to the right governance structure," Jephcott said.
Certainly how the existing Sydney clubs will fit into the so-called third-tier competition and what form that competition will take once Super rugby expands to a longer 15-team tournament next season are problems that have dogged the code for several years, and not just in NSW.
"A lot of the angst has probably come from the club competition and a lot of that is centring on what are the elite clubs and what the elite competition is about," he said.
"Obviously at the third-tier level, the pathways for the west are critical. We can't do that by ourselves. That has to be done in conjunction with the Australian Rugby Union."
Under the responsibilities-splitting arrangement between the community and professional wings, NSW has licensed the Waratahs brand to the new professional body.
In return, Jephcott said, the Waratahs are obliged to pay the community game $1 million annually or 5 per cent of revenues, whichever is the higher.
"The idea was that the Waratahs board would start each year knowing it has fixed financial obligations and to run its business accordingly," he said.
"There might be terrible years when it (the payment of the full $1m) might not happen, but that is what's planned."
The first order of business for both Jephcott and Zemancheff will be to head up their respective board's search for separate chief executives to replace Jim
L'Estrange who on Friday resigned as chief executive of the NSWRU and the Waratahs."
* Wayne Smith
* From: The Australian
* June 07, 2010 12:00AM
ILL Jephcott couldn't see very far through the haze that hung over Beijing yesterday.
But he was clear-sighted about what lies ahead in his new role as chairman of the NSW Rugby Union.
The final act in the drawn-out process of splitting NSW rugby into two separate entities to run the professional and community arms of the game was acted out yesterday when Ed Zemancheff stepped down from his position to concentrate on his new role as Waratahs Rugby Limited chairman and Jephcott was unanimously elected as his replacement in a telephone vote.
Constitutionally, it was not possible for Zemancheff to take charge of the professional wing, the Waratahs, while remaining as boss of the NSWRU which will administer such affiliated bodies as sub-districts, NSW Country, juniors and the Sydney clubs.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Speaking from Beijing, Jephcott, who played more than 100 first-grade games for Gordon and represented NSW in 1973, told The Australian the issues of a third-tier competition and a clear pathway for Sydney's western suburbs would be major priorities for NSW Rugby.
"At the moment clubs are a mix of the social and the aspirational and that probably hasn't led to the right governance structure," Jephcott said.
Certainly how the existing Sydney clubs will fit into the so-called third-tier competition and what form that competition will take once Super rugby expands to a longer 15-team tournament next season are problems that have dogged the code for several years, and not just in NSW.
"A lot of the angst has probably come from the club competition and a lot of that is centring on what are the elite clubs and what the elite competition is about," he said.
"Obviously at the third-tier level, the pathways for the west are critical. We can't do that by ourselves. That has to be done in conjunction with the Australian Rugby Union."
Under the responsibilities-splitting arrangement between the community and professional wings, NSW has licensed the Waratahs brand to the new professional body.
In return, Jephcott said, the Waratahs are obliged to pay the community game $1 million annually or 5 per cent of revenues, whichever is the higher.
"The idea was that the Waratahs board would start each year knowing it has fixed financial obligations and to run its business accordingly," he said.
"There might be terrible years when it (the payment of the full $1m) might not happen, but that is what's planned."
The first order of business for both Jephcott and Zemancheff will be to head up their respective board's search for separate chief executives to replace Jim
L'Estrange who on Friday resigned as chief executive of the NSWRU and the Waratahs."
