Payto & Panda: ARU’s desperate name change, former Waratahs’ Hollywood flame revealed

THE Australian Rugby Union will cease to exist in coming weeks, while a former Waratahs star’s Hollywood girlfriend is revealed.

Ben Volavola’s new girlfriend Shailene Woodley at the Emmy Awards.

THE Australian Rugby Union will cease to exist in coming weeks.

But before champagne corks get popped in Perth, it’s only the name that will come to an end.

It is understood the ARU is pushing the button on rebranding plans and will soon become known as “Rugby Australia”.

The renaming may come as soon as next week, when the ARU’s new headquarters at Moore Park is officially opened by the NSW Government.

ARU staff have been in the still-unfinished building for a week or two and as seen in the picture below, the shortened version of the new name — “RugbyAu” — can already be spotted above the front door on Moore Park Road.

Australian Rugby Union is rebranding.

The obvious read on a rebranding as “Rugby Australia” is that the ARU have responded to a year from hell by trying to wash off the mud of the ugly Super Rugby downsizing saga. ARU leadership has been hammered over the Force axing and the PR damage was substantial.

But it is understood the rebranding exercise began in mid-2016 and was put on the backburner this year as the Super Rugby fight raged on.

SEARCH CONTINUES FOR NEW BOSS

The new “Rugby Australia” CEO will be in his — or her — new office by January and interviews are about to begin to find Bill Pulver’s successor.

Just who is in the frame remains — surprisingly — a mystery but FFA and former NRL boss David Gallop still gets mentioned in dispatches, along with ex-AOC chief executive Fiona De Jong and ex-Bulldogs boss Raelene Castle.

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Current ARU board member Brett Robinson is also an “insider” candidate but he wants to stay in Brisbane. And influential rugby figures argue an internal appointment wouldn’t be seen as the radical kind of change needed to reshape the ARU at a critical juncture for the code.

RUGBY STAR’S BRUSH WITH HOLLYWOOD

Ben Volavola became the most read-about rugby player on the planet this week — and the news barely involved a football.

Volavola, the Sydney-raised Fijian no.10 who has played with the Waratahs and the Melbourne Rebels, became a “man of mystery” under the spotlight of Hollywood media this week with revelations he is dating US actor Shailene Woodley.

Ben Volavola with Hollywood girlfriend Shailene Woodley.

Woodley is a award-winning megastar, from movies such as the Descendants and Divergent and the major TV series Big Little Lies.

She met Volavola in Fiji while filming a movie and recently flew to New Zealand to be with the 26-year-old, who is doing a stint with North Harbour in the Mitre Ten Cup.

The US media are fascinated by Woodley’s exotic new beau, and Volavola will be pleased to know one of the “five things you need to know” on Glamour website is that “he is HOT”.

Our less excited rugby sources tell us the relationship is going strong and Woodley plans to spend time with Volavola in France next year, when he takes up a contract with Bordeaux.

FROSTY RELATIONSHIP

The loss of promising Aussie schoolboy lock Nick Frost to the Crusaders was a blow but comments from his dad Steve last week that Australian rugby doesn’t have the system to develop his son apparently went down like a lead balloon. Why? Steve Frost works for the ARU.

It may have made for some frosty hallway action but to be fair, there is no denying the drain of talent from Aussie schoolboy rugby to other codes and countries is a growing area of concern and needs some new ideas.

Nick Frost in action for Knox Grammar. Picture: Mitch Cameron/SPA Images

It is believed an NRC under-19 comp is being formulated to fill the post-school void next year.

Frost spoke with the Waratahs several times but his second option after the Crusaders may have even been to sign with the Sydney Swans, who were also chasing the 2.05m kid as a ruckman.

QUESTIONING TWIGGY’S IPRC DREAM

ARU boss Bill Pulver said this week that “deep discussions” are still happening with Andrew Forrest’s team about the proposed Indo-Pacific Rugby Championship but some are questioning whether Twiggyball will get off the ground.

Forrest has often stressed that people shouldn’t doubt his commitment to financially backing the Force and the IPRC but there is doubt around right now as to whether he will back RugbyWA in paying their legal bills.

After losing two legal proceedings, RugbyWA were ordered to pay the ARU’s legal costs, which are reportedly over $1 million. The ARU have written to RugbyWA saying they will pursue the money but RugbyWA don’t have that kind of cash and, wanting to avoid voluntary administration, are trying to negotiate a settlement.

The ARU look to be pushing the issue because RugbyWA told them in writing they had the backing of Forrest and a handful of prominent WA figures to cover their legal fees, and to pay the ARU’s fees as well in the event of a cost order.

“However, as of today, this undertaking has not been fulfilled,” Clyne told the Senate inquiry on Monday.

A letter from Bill Pulver to RugbyWA published in the West Australian newspaper yesterday argued the legal action was unnecessarily expensive and drawn out, it prolonged the suffering of Force and Rebels players and subjected the ARU to “intense public and media criticism”.

FIGHT FOR RUGBY WORLD CUP

The visit of Ireland President Michael Higgins to Sydney this week was all part of some heavy lobbying going on around the world by countries bidding for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Ireland is running against France and South Africa to host the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world.

The French and the Africans also have PR firms selling their cases in major rugby nations around the world.

The Irish are many people’s sentimental favourites, and President Higgins said he was “optimistic” about Australia’s support after a lunch in Sydney on Wednesday. It was followed by an announcement of a lucrative three-Test series against Ireland in Australia next year.

So, vote one Ireland, right?

Irish President Michael Higgins (L) with Bill Pulver.

Hold the Guinness because, no, not necessarily.

We understand Australia and other nations will use their votes to basically endorse a recommendation made by the Rugby World Cup board.

After Ireland, France and South Africa presented and submitted their bids last month, a review was commissioned by RWC board on the bids; focusing on financial criteria (the revenue funds world rugby for four years) and technical criteria (such as stadia etc).

The findings of the review will produce a preferred host, and it is expected the WR Council will ratify that recommendation. It is designed to eliminate vote buying and all that dodgy stuff but some wheelers and dealers in World Rugby aren’t happy and want to make their own mind up. And maybe some other people’s, too.

Originally published as Payto & Panda: ARU’s desperate name change, former Waratahs’ Hollywood flame revealed