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Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has apologised to Australian rugby fans for a dismal performance at the Rugby World Cup, but has no regrets about hiring Eddie Jones and says he’d make the same call again.
McLennan also conceded the budget for the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign had blown out by a concerning amount, and the panel to find the next Wallabies coach will be RA chief executive Phil Waugh and RA director Daniel Herbert.
In the wake of the Wallabies’ first-ever exit from the World Cup pool stages and Jones’ subsequent resignation, McLennan addressed a number of topics in a sit-down interview with Stan Sport.
After coming under heavy criticism for his role in an annus horribilis for Australian rugby, McLennan re-iterated his intention to stay in the role as chair and rejected the suggestion the recruitment of Jones had been a “captain’s pick”.
“I think its unfair because it was socialised amongst the board and we were all concerned about how the team was performing [under Dave Rennie in 2022],” McLennan said.
“We have had to make a lot of significant calls for rugby over the last three years so I was in a position where I certainly gave a point of view. It is unfair to say it was my call only, but I was certainly an advocate for Eddie and I think given the circumstances I would probably make the same call again.
Eddie Jones resigned as Wallabies coach.Credit: Steven Siewert
“In business and in life, you don’t have a 100 per cent success rate. You don’t get every call right. I am really gutted. I felt so bad after we lost to Wales and there were fans in the street who’d spent their money going over to watch the games and the tournament, and all their hopes had been ripped up. But I also want to stick it out and fix it once and for all. I think I am doing it for the right reasons.”
McLennan apologised to fans several times during the interview, but stopped short of agreeing when asked if Rennie was also due an apology.
“That’s a good question. I am not sure, in the sense, by his own acknowledgement that he felt accountable to the scoreboard. We honoured the contract exactly as it was written to him,” McLennan said.
“He was given three years .… we discussed it in depth and we felt we needed a change.”
McLennan confirmed widespread speculation in Australian rugby circles that the Wallabies program had gone significantly over budget in 2023. Sources with knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said the cost blow-outs related to pre-World Cup accommodation in Paris, and costs involved in having up to 15 players based in Europe with Australia A and the Barbarians during the tournament for injury cover. None were called up by Jones.
“We don’t disclose [figures] but it was over … more than we would like, yeah,” McLennan said.
“We have to have tighter budget control and so we have certainly got a new CEO, and stricter processes that will ensure that doesn’t happen in the future.”
The Wallabies’ budget blow-out is due to part of the forthcoming season review, which will be conducted by Andrew Slack, Justin Harrison and consultant Darlene Harrison.
Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan .Credit: Steven Siewert
McLennan revealed former Wallabies Waugh and Herbert, who make up the Rugby Committee on the RA board, will conduct the search for a new Wallabies coach.
“The Rugby Committee will be designing the process, they’ll be interviewing the candidates and putting a recommendation to the board,” McLennan said.
McLennan said weeks of criticism had been tough on his family.
“It’s been very difficult for them, and it certainly isn’t pleasant,” he said.
“All I would say to the rugby fans and the stakeholders, I again apologise for what happened at the World Cup but hopefully you see someone with a steely resolve who wants to bat on.
“Rugby eats itself every three or four years and it has lacked a coherent strategy over a long period of time, and I feel like we are just getting to the point where we will break through. I think we are really close to pulling off an historic alignment or centralisation within the code.”
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