Andrew Slack: Wallabies captains lack any real plan to resuscitate rugby
Former Wallabies skipper ANDREW SLACK reveals why he declined to accept a seat on the Captain’s Bandwagon that helped drive former Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle out the door.
Rugby
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The easy conclusion to draw is that the letter signed by ten former Wallaby captains bemoaning our rugby administration was the death knell for Raelene Castle as Rugby Australia’s CEO.
Perhaps though, the recently re-jigged RA Board, with three new members, was going to head in that direction regardless of any pressure applied by this captain’s cabal.
Either way, Rugby Australia’s interim chairman Paul McLean was accurate with the observation he made after Castle resigned on Thursday night.
“She was always an easy target,” he said. “Some in the media took the time to know her. Others just jumped on the bandwagon.”
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I declined to accept a seat on the bandwagon steered by Phil Kearns and Nick Farr-Jones.
Like them, I’ve been frustrated by the way RA has handled several issues, most particularly the exit of the Western Force (before Castle’s time) and the fallout that ensued, but more generally about what I perceived as lack of transparency and a minimal amount of information being drip fed to the rugby public. However, after several lengthy discussions with the drivers, my final communication on the matter was this.
“I remain unsure of the wording of the letter, the timing of it and most importantly, any positive effect it might have. It is also not really the way I work in trying to get things done. So, I think it would be hypocritical of me to be a signatory.”
I also expressed concern that any intended coup would see babies being tossed out with the bathwater. The letter spoke of a plan being needed to assist Australian rugby to move forward. Had that plan been formulated, at least in part, and included in the letter, I may have taken a different stance.
There were other flaws. Only certain captains were invited to sign. Mark Loane, Tony Shaw, Geoff Shaw and Tim Horan were among those not asked and while Michael Lynagh was one of the names initially released as a signatory, he had requested further communication prior to the letter being sent to RA or made public, but it was not forthcoming.
Also, among those who signed are some who have done absolutely zero for the code since they were the feted ones showing off their talents on the field and getting nicely recompensed for their efforts. I have no issue with that. We all make our choices as to how we spend our time once retired from the game, and it does not deny the right to have an opinion, but it does make it less easy to accept their legitimacy for a ticket on this Captain’s Bandwagon.
For the main part, the individuals running the game have been well-intentioned. They have made decisions which not everybody will agree with but to suggest, as some critics have, that it’s been all about business class airfares and the best tickets to matches, is insulting, untrue and petty.
If this letter has any effect in ultimately advancing the state of the game to where supporters at every level want it to be, I’ll be delighted and grateful to the architects, but will remain totally comfortable in my refusal to be a part of it.
What I would be very happy to add my signature to, or wave a placard at a protest march or go on hunger strike for, or whatever, would be a scheme to update the laws and rid the game of the stop-start affliction that too often prevents rugby being played as it was truly meant to be.
There’s improvements to be made off and on the field. Getting the on field ones right will make it easier for those calling the shots off it.
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