Moore leads call with game against the wall

Former Wallabies skipper has outlined the reasons why he wants a change of leadership of rugby in Australia.

Stephen Moore was the most recent of the ex-Wallaby skippers calling for change at Rugby Australia Picture: Tara Croser.

The opaque review of the Wallabies’ World Cup failings and the impersonal handling of board changes are two reasons why former skipper Stephen Moore co-signed the explosive call to replace Rugby Australia’s leadership.

The 129-Test hooker was the most contemporary of the former Wallabies captains who put their names to an unprecedented letter on Tuesday that urged the current administration to “stand aside” so the code can be resuscitated.

“It’s not like you wake up one morning and want to light a fire under RA,” the 2015 World Cup skipper said.

“A lot of thought went into signing that letter and it comes with a high level of care and frustration because we all see a worrying level of deterioration in the game we love.

“In February, I made an inquiry about RA’s strategic plan and was told it’s not available at this time.”

Moore, 37, said reconnecting with grassroots rugby needed urgent repair as he enters his own new phase in rugby as a parent with son Theodore, 7, in under-8s at the Taylor Bridge Bull Sharks and as a committeeman with University of Queensland Rugby Club.

Putting his name up as a potential new RA board member this year was unfulfilling.

It wasn’t that he missed out or the formal process but the remoteness of no contact from RA.

“I was employed by rugby for 15 seasons and had the great privilege of leading my country yet I got a call from an outsourced recruitment company and didn’t even speak to a board member,” Moore said.

“I’d ask whether that is the appropriate management of that situation.

“That was a real red flag about the culture of Rugby Australia right there.”

The letter was no one-off volley from “The Captains” and sources indicate a resolve for the long haul to be part of meaningful change because it’s now or never.

“I’m hoping this letter can be a trigger for change to the leadership and direction of the game so we get the right people doing it well with more transparency.”

Former captains George Gregan, Nick Farr-Jones, Phil Kearns, Simon Poidevin, Rod McCall, Jason Little, Nathan Sharpe, Stirling Mortlock and George Smith are the other signatories to the letter that should rock the code to its foundations.

Sharpe said “the whole governance model needs to change in terms of who is responsible for what” and he believes “RA needs to be more connected and aligned with the states.”

Moore stressed that the letter was not a direct pot shot at besieged RA chief executive Raelene Castle.

“This is not about individual people because accountability sits in multiple places,” Moore said.

“We speak as one voice when we say Australian rugby needs new vision, leadership and a plan for the future … we ask the current administration to heed our call and stand aside.”

The Courier-Mail