AOC boss John Coates throws support behind Matt Carroll to succeed Raelene Castle as Rugby Australia CEO
Matt Carroll says rugby must make the “tough decisions” after being endorsed by Australian Olympic Committee boss John Coates to take over the job vacated by Raelene Castle.
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Matt Carroll says rugby must make the “tough decisions” after being endorsed by Australian Olympic Committee boss John Coates to take over the job vacated by Raelene Castle.
Mooted Rugby Australia chairman Peter Wiggs wants to appoint Carroll as his new chief, and has threatened to resign if he is not allowed.
Carroll is chief executive of the AOC but Coates, the longstanding president of the organisation, appears resigned to losing him to rugby, where he cut his sporting administrative teeth.
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Wiggs, a friend of Carroll’s, was backed in as RA’s new chairman at Monday night’s board meeting but is now on the verge of quitting after other board members baulked at the idea of Carroll’s immediate appointment, saying proper process must be followed.
“I’m not really saying much at all, this is a matter for Rugby Australia,” Carroll told The Daily Telegraph. “I know Peter, we’ve known each other for a long time.
“The matter is with Rugby Australia.
“They certainly need someone with experience at this time, they are not in good shape.
“That is not blaming anyone, it’s just a statement of fact. But there’s always the opportunity to get things right.
“There are a few tough decisions to be made, but those decisions need to be made.”
Carroll served as John O’Neill’s deputy over two terms at what was then known as the Australian Rugby Union, so has a long background in the game.
His backing for the top job comes after former chief executive Raelene Castle resigned two weeks ago amid forecasts of losses up to $120 million and no broadcast deal beyond this year.
Coates said Carroll is the ideal candidate to revive the ailing 15-man game.
“Matt is an outstanding administrator who has done an excellent job for the Olympic movement in Australia,” Coates said.
“It will be very disappointing to lose him but his heart is in rugby and he is just what they need. He would be ideal.
“Matt brings people together and gets a result. That’s what he has done here and that’s the value he would bring to rugby.”
Wiggs has quickly become the key figure at RA since his appointment to the board on March 30 alongside Brett Godfrey and Daniel Herbert as the three new directors.
He led the negotiations on the wage cuts for players with RUPA after Castle and fellow directors had failed to get an agreement for weeks.
But things turned nasty between board members on the video conference meeting on Monday night, as Wiggs demanded to be allowed to install his friend as Castle’s replacement immediately.
Other directors, believed to be John Wilson, Hayden Rorke and Pip Marlow, rejected Wiggs’ proposal, saying due process needed to be followed to appoint the new boss of the game.
But Wiggs countered that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the unprecedented chaos called for an immediate appointment.
He threatened to resign if Carroll was not installed, and it’s understood he may yet walk.
Wiggs did not return calls for comment, but an RA spokesman said: “I’ve spoken to the Chair. He won’t be making any comment on the content of Board meetings unless it’s for the benefit of the game.”
RA has still not submitted its annual report to the Australian Securities Investment Commission, with auditors refusing to sign off amid speculation the organisation is in a perilous financial state.