Wahesh
The Forefather of The Kennel
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ARU, Tag - you're it!
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e/news-story/c6f56515a06d5feb4c11226068befd06
SACKING ARU rugby boss Bill Pulver would not magically fix Australian rugby’s problems, according to chairman Cameron Clyne.
Pulver’s future at the helm of Australian rugby was back under the spotlight yesterday with speculation the CEO could step down before Monday’s emergency general meeting despite having eight months left on his contract.
In the wake of ongoing criticism for Pulver’s role in the ARU’s Super Rugby downsizing mess, outgoing Canterbury Bulldogs chief executive Raelene Castle has emerged as a potential replacement.
Pressure is also mounting on Pulver after The Daily Telegraph revealed sponsor Buildcorp had pulled support for the National Rugby Championship because of the failure to introduce a women’s competition. The ARU has also lost sponsors BMW and Lion Nathan.
Clyne said he’d had no contact with Castle and the board had not withdrawn its support for Pulver.
“It is obviously challenging times but that’s not the view of the board at all,” Clyne said.
“He has certainly not said that (he will step down) and the board has no intention of asking him to go.”
At the behest of the Victorian Rugby Union and Rugby Union Players Association, the ARU will hold a meeting next week to discuss the contentious and messy process of removing one of Australia’s five Super Rugby teams.
PODCAST: Jamie Pandaram and Iain Payten discuss the Wallabies’ dilemma with hookers, Michael Cheika’s snarling dog and the latest Flying Fijian
After the ARU announced in April a time frame of “48-72 hours” to close down the Force or Rebels, legal threats from Rugby WA and Melbourne Rebels dragged the process to a highly damaging halt.
Pulver, who said in April he would step down “in a heartbeat” if it was advantageous to Australian rugby, has worn persistent criticism for keeping a low profile.
Figures such as Bob Dwyer and Brendan Cannon have called on the CEO to quit to allow the game to move forward. But Clyne said it was too “simplistic” to think changing CEOs would solve all the problems of Australian rugby.
“There’s actually a broader issue. This sport has a history of turning on itself quite a lot. This is just the latest (example) … you have to look at this in a historical context of the last 15 years of Australian rugby,” Clyne said.
“There is a vocal group of people driving a hard campaign but I think it’s a bit simplistic to say everything will be fine if we just change the CEO.”
Castle, a former New Zealand Netball boss, would be a good candidate to be the ARU’s first female boss given her extensive sports administration experience and — critically — she has no baggage in Australian rugby.
Clyne said while ARU leadership for next year had been considered, it was not a current priority.
“We are always thinking about options but at this stage we are not thinking about that (the next ARU CEO) as an issue because we are focused on the challenges we have got,” Clyne said.
“With Bill we have a conversation closer to that time (February) but there is no movement at this point. Any new CEO you would want to be set up for success and I am not sure the governance structure at the moment is there for that.”
Clyne — like many in Australian rugby — believes a more centralised governance model is required for the game to revive its fortunes.
“It is really just getting greater collaboration,” he said. “We just don’t quite have the degree of co-ordination we could have. We will keep pushing away ... people can see the merit in that.”
Clyne doesn’t expect the EGM to result in stakeholders pushing for leadership changes.
Three resolutions are up for debate: the first two are based around whether it is in Australia’s best interests to keep five teams, and the third about the formation of a Super Rugby commission, which would act as an advisory body to the ARU.
Clyne said “all five teams support going to four teams” and though open to a Super Rugby commission, the chairman questioned another level of governance being added.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e/news-story/c6f56515a06d5feb4c11226068befd06
SACKING ARU rugby boss Bill Pulver would not magically fix Australian rugby’s problems, according to chairman Cameron Clyne.
Pulver’s future at the helm of Australian rugby was back under the spotlight yesterday with speculation the CEO could step down before Monday’s emergency general meeting despite having eight months left on his contract.
In the wake of ongoing criticism for Pulver’s role in the ARU’s Super Rugby downsizing mess, outgoing Canterbury Bulldogs chief executive Raelene Castle has emerged as a potential replacement.
Pressure is also mounting on Pulver after The Daily Telegraph revealed sponsor Buildcorp had pulled support for the National Rugby Championship because of the failure to introduce a women’s competition. The ARU has also lost sponsors BMW and Lion Nathan.
Clyne said he’d had no contact with Castle and the board had not withdrawn its support for Pulver.
“It is obviously challenging times but that’s not the view of the board at all,” Clyne said.
“He has certainly not said that (he will step down) and the board has no intention of asking him to go.”
At the behest of the Victorian Rugby Union and Rugby Union Players Association, the ARU will hold a meeting next week to discuss the contentious and messy process of removing one of Australia’s five Super Rugby teams.
PODCAST: Jamie Pandaram and Iain Payten discuss the Wallabies’ dilemma with hookers, Michael Cheika’s snarling dog and the latest Flying Fijian
After the ARU announced in April a time frame of “48-72 hours” to close down the Force or Rebels, legal threats from Rugby WA and Melbourne Rebels dragged the process to a highly damaging halt.
Pulver, who said in April he would step down “in a heartbeat” if it was advantageous to Australian rugby, has worn persistent criticism for keeping a low profile.
Figures such as Bob Dwyer and Brendan Cannon have called on the CEO to quit to allow the game to move forward. But Clyne said it was too “simplistic” to think changing CEOs would solve all the problems of Australian rugby.
“There’s actually a broader issue. This sport has a history of turning on itself quite a lot. This is just the latest (example) … you have to look at this in a historical context of the last 15 years of Australian rugby,” Clyne said.
“There is a vocal group of people driving a hard campaign but I think it’s a bit simplistic to say everything will be fine if we just change the CEO.”
Castle, a former New Zealand Netball boss, would be a good candidate to be the ARU’s first female boss given her extensive sports administration experience and — critically — she has no baggage in Australian rugby.
Clyne said while ARU leadership for next year had been considered, it was not a current priority.
“We are always thinking about options but at this stage we are not thinking about that (the next ARU CEO) as an issue because we are focused on the challenges we have got,” Clyne said.
“With Bill we have a conversation closer to that time (February) but there is no movement at this point. Any new CEO you would want to be set up for success and I am not sure the governance structure at the moment is there for that.”
Clyne — like many in Australian rugby — believes a more centralised governance model is required for the game to revive its fortunes.
“It is really just getting greater collaboration,” he said. “We just don’t quite have the degree of co-ordination we could have. We will keep pushing away ... people can see the merit in that.”
Clyne doesn’t expect the EGM to result in stakeholders pushing for leadership changes.
Three resolutions are up for debate: the first two are based around whether it is in Australia’s best interests to keep five teams, and the third about the formation of a Super Rugby commission, which would act as an advisory body to the ARU.
Clyne said “all five teams support going to four teams” and though open to a Super Rugby commission, the chairman questioned another level of governance being added.
