Interesting article from before JoN came back;
Rugby running last
By Peter Jenkins
December 16, 2006 12:00
http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/ ... 23,00.html
FORMER rugby union supremo John O'Neill last night delivered the brutal assessment that his former sport was in the doldrums and losing the war of the four major football codes.
During an explosive interview with The Daily Telegraph, he also claimed there were key figures in the Australian Rugby Union who had effectively blocked any prospect of him returning to help the game.
O'Neill, 55, broke a three-year silence on rugby union's standing in the marketplace as he announced his first job outside sports administration since 1995, a fulltime executive role with the STW Group.
"AFL dominates the domestic landscape, it's the NFL of Australia," O'Neill said when asked to list a pecking order of the codes. "It's followed by rugby league which is starting to build an international presence again. The Tri-Nations series this year was fantastic. The NRL is also magnificently entertaining and showing resilience beyond belief.
"In the after-glow of the World Cup and the A-League you would, by a lot of measures, have football at No. 3 and rugby union at No. 4.
"As constructive criticism, I think rugby's position has slipped considerably in recent years.
"The win-loss ratio of the Wallabies is clearly a barometer you just can't hide from. There's not too many trophies in the cabinet.
"But on-field performances are only part of it. You also need a highly competent board and management team who can extract every benefit out of what the team is doing."
O'Neill said he was staggered when Wallabies coach John Connolly returned from Europe saying there were no negatives from the November tour.
"I can't count the number of people who have stopped me to say it's one of the most ludicrous things they've ever heard," he said.
"And it tells you about the state of rugby union's psychology.
"They're not seeing the world as it is, they're seeing it how they would like it to be. Rather than doing self-assessments they ought to get some independent views about how they're travelling."
There has been a behind-the-scenes push to lure O'Neill back as ARU chairman. O'Neill said he had been "unofficially" sounded out, had never campaigned for the post, would only take the role by invitation and was not interested in his former chief executive job now held by Gary Flowers.
But he has all but ruled out a return after speaking with an ARU director on Thursday night.
"I've heard from one of them overnight and after reading the comments of Gary Flowers, it's clear they'd only welcome me back if I go through the system," said O'Neill.
"If you want to take it to the nth degree, it could mean go back to club land, join the board of Easts, hope to get on the board of the NSW Rugby Union and then the board of the ARU. "That's ludicrous. It's actually quite insulting for someone of my background and credentials.
"I brought (IAG boss and former Wallaby) Michael Hawker straight on to the board and he was one of our more outstanding directors.
"That wasn't about who's got the oldest blazer. We said 'who's the best person' and appointed him.
"But I think there are people on the board of the ARU and one person behind the scenes – a former ARU director – who simply don't want me back involved.
"They may have had some differences of opinion with me in the past or simply see me as a threat to their own ambitions.
"So I don't believe an invitation will be forthcoming. I honestly don't think they believe they're in a sufficiently severe state of distress to need someone of my background, credibility and experience.
"As for whether they are, I'll leave that for others to judge."
