A year on from the World Cup circus, the worm has turned for Rugby Australia but no-one’s celebrating yet

Wins are on the board for the Wallabies, a new star has been revealed and a high quality coach in charge - but there is no celebration yet from Rugby Australia. This is why.

The bleeding’s stopped but the deepest cuts haven’t healed yet.

After the Hell of 2023, no-one could begrudge Rugby Australia’s wounded leaders from popping the champagne corks to acknowledge the lost ground the code regained in 2024.

The fans have returned in their droves; the Wallabies have a new star player and the team’s results are steadily improving; and in Joe Schmidt, Australia has a coach everyone can trust after the disastrous appointment of the chameleon Eddie Jones.

But no-one at RA is celebrating anything yet because the anguish and pain from 2023 is still too fresh and the rescue mission isn’t finished.

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh. Picture: Tim Hunter

“We’ve made considerable strides in stabilising the game but we know we’re not where we need to be, globally or domestically,” RA chief executive Phil Waugh told this masthead.

“From where we were 12 months ago, it’s hard to envisage that we would have made the progress at the speed at which we’ve made it.

“But that being said, we’re very early in the journey of getting the game back to the trust that we’ve had historically.”

Waugh’s not trying to be a killjoy.

A former Wallabies captain, he’d love nothing more than to shout from the rafters that everything’s suddenly rosy again. But it just isn’t.

That’s not to say significant progress hasn’t been made.

After winning just two matches in 2023, the Wallabies chalked up six victories in 2024.

The board survived an attempted overthrow and Australia’s Brett Robinson was elected as World Rugby chairman, arguably the most powerful job in the game.

RA began mending some of the broken relationships between the professional and community game that had been neglected under previous administrations while Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was an instant hit in his first steps on the world stage.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was an instant hit when debuting against England. Picture: Andy Buchanan /AFP

RA was heavily criticised for paying Suaalii $5 million to switch codes, but Waugh said he was a good investment for other reasons.

“Whilst people talk about the finances, I’m far more interested in ensuring that we’ve got the right cultural fit within environments and he’s slotted in perfectly,” Waugh said.

“There’s a lot to like for a young man stepping into that stage with a lot of pressure, he’s held himself extremely well.”

That’s the good news. The bad news is there’s still a lot more work to be done in other areas so Waugh is urging everyone to remain calm and patient.

“I’m a big believer in when you’re making change you can only make change at a rate and speed that people are willing to change ,” he said.

“I’m hopeful that we’re through the worst … and now we’re rebuilding that trust that’s going to enable us to make the most of what is a really exciting period for the game.”

The Wallabies failed to make it past the pool stages when Eddie Jones was coach at the 2023 World Cup. Picture: David Gray / AFP

RA is banking on the mountain of money it expects to make from hosting the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 then the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027.

But there are more immediate challenges that could have as big a bearing on the game as any financial sugar hit.

* Schmidt has only signed on to coach the team through to the end of the Lions series. RA wants him to stay on but there’s no guarantee he will. A decision is expected before the end of the month. Waugh says: “Joe is a high quality human first and foremost. We will work with Joe and respect the considerations he has and work through what post the Lions looks like for the Wallaby environment.”

* There are also a number of key players coming off contracts that have to be re-signed or potentially lost to the NRL or overseas clubs. Waugh says: “I know there’s been a little bit of commentary around us potentially sitting on our hands. That’s not the case, we’ve just been assessing performances and the importance of certain athletes within the system and making sure that we have constructive conversations in the next period of time to ideally secure players sooner rather than later into the future and you want to do that ideally outside of playing seasons. So we’ll work through that over the next few weeks.”

Joe Schmidt has not yet decided whether he will remain as Wallabies coach after the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

* RA hasn’t finalised its broadcast deal beyond 2025 but are holding exclusive negotiations with their current partners Nine and Stan. Waugh says: “Things are progressing well. It’s so important to get to the right outcome for the game and as we know a lot of people will talk about exposure and ensuring that we’ve got as many people watching the game as possible. Equally, we need to ensure that we can fund the game to put a product out on the field that is compelling and attractive and that people want to watch. And clearly that costs money so we’re making good progress.”

* RA posted a $9.2 million deficit for 2023 and has forecast another loss for 2024, after taking out a $80 million loan to see them through to the Lions. RA is also facing a $30 million legal claim from the Melbourne Rebels after they were axed from Super Rugby. Waugh says: “There’s certainly been some additional cost challenges. When you think about the strategic re-set of the game and obviously taking and delivering the Rebels this year was a considerable expense to RA and the integration of the Waratahs and the Brumbies as well as carrying a large facility which is largely required to deal with the hangover of the Covid period.”

Originally published as A year on from the World Cup circus, the worm has turned for Rugby Australia but no-one’s celebrating yet