Rugby Australia reaches agreement with Super Rugby teams for central model that will allow coach and player transfers

Rugby Australia has moved to a centralised model similar to that used in New Zealand with CEO Phil Waugh also making a key statement to disgruntled Wallaroos players.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire photos FEBRUARY 11, 2023: The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and the Minister for Sport, Anika Wells, welcome Wallaroos players and new Wallabies Coach Eddie Jones to Kirribilli House in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Rugby Australia is headed towards a centralised national model that could allow them to appoint coaches and star players to Super Rugby franchises.

While the finer details are yet to be finalised, all five Super franchises have agreed to support a central model for the very first time.

It moves Australia closer to the successful systems in place in Ireland and New Zealand – the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the world.

New RA chief executive Phil Waugh said centralisation also applies to women as he deals with a disgruntled Wallaroos squad, revealing that the organisation wants the team to be professional by the next World Cup in 2025.

New RA chief executive Phil Waugh said centralisation also applies to women as he deals with a disgruntled Wallaroos squad. Picture: SAEED KHAN / AFP

Just how all this unfolds will be largely dependent on funding, with Waugh conceding the game is struggling and the private equity money they’d hoped for may not materialise.

“We’re going through the capital raising at the moment, we’re running a dual track process – private equity and debt – by the end of this month we’ll have a position on whether it’s going to be the PE path or the debt path, and we’ll explore then the different partners that you take through to the next phase of the capital raise,” Waugh said.

He added that RA is “categorically” committed to five Super Rugby teams, and that interviews are underway to appoint a new director of high performance who will oversee the entire Wallabies and Super programs. That appointment will take some weeks.

But the first major hurdle has been crossed – getting all five franchises to agree to give up some power to the ruling body.

“This has been talked about for a long time, we’ve had a whole lot of independent reviews and every review has, in some shape or form, recommended this structure,” Waugh said.

“In terms of timing, we’re going into a World Cup ranked eighth in the world, we haven’t had a Super Rugby team in the final – other than Super Rugby AU – since 2014.

RA said this change is necessary due to the flagging hopes of Australian Rugby – the national team is going into a World Cup ranked eighth in the world. Picture: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

“And there’s been an overall decline in performance, so I think the time is right to say, actually, there’s no secret that we’re under pressure financially, The best way to alleviate that pressure financially is to remove the duplication across the system and get our professional teams performing at the highest possible level to drive broadcasting interest, commercial interest and attendance and crowds at grounds.

“I think it’s a combination of all our member unions looking at the decline in performance and the decline and saying, ‘Things need to change’.”

Waugh agreed, via questions from journalists, that eventually RA may be in a position to appoint certain coaches and players to franchises that would help develop combinations and get better results to strengthen the underperforming Wallabies.

“The biggest piece, and if you look across the systems that are successful, the number one priority is for the national team’s success across the women’s and men’s games, and everything we do during the 12-month period is focused on that,” Waugh said.

“As a result, the provincial teams do better.

“How we get the best possible coaches, strength conditioners, doctors, physiotherapists, all attracted to the system is aligning it to one common goal.”

This week Waugh will meet with Wallaroos players, who took the unprecedented step last weekend of issuing unified criticism of RA over a range of issues including funding and the lack of a full-time coach, but denied the announcement of centralisation was designed to take the heat out of the situation.

“It is pure coincidence that the news and commentary through the Wallaroos, it hasn’t changed the timing of this,” Waugh said.

Phil Waugh will meet with disgruntled Wallaroos players this week. Picture: Adam Yip

“Equally it hasn’t changed the announcement that we’re really excited about around Jaime Fernandez, or high performance manager for the women’s game as well.

“We’ve got a fairly clear direction that we want to go, and I think it’s great for the game.

“We’re going through capital-raising at the moment, whether that’s private equity, whether that’s debt, we are challenged financially in the game right now so then it’s actually, how do we ensure we fund the game appropriately across the women’s and men’s games through to 2025 for the Lions series to be successful, and then 27 (men’s World Cup in Australia) and 29 (women’s World Cup in Australia).

“What do you need? And how do you fund it? How can you pay it back? We’re talking a lot about the professional game, but equally important is that investment into grassroots and community, which is part of that piece around centralisation.

The Wallaroos have received an undertaking from Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh that they will be full-time by 2025. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

“Clearly the level of frustration has been aired, it’s our role to ensure we’re listening to our players and ensuring we respond appropriately and in line with that strategic thinking on the women’s game.

“We’ll meet with the girls this week, and listen and understand.”

While Wallaroos players were compelled to speak out after the partner of a Wallabies player posted on social media that she’d had had a trip to farewell her boyfriend funded by RA, Waugh would not confirm or deny they’d paid for any partners to attend the event.

“There’s certainly some inaccuracies in some of the commentary, but I think there’s a broader conversation around the strategy of driving investment into the women’s game,” Waugh said.

“I’m not going to go into the detail of each accusation, but we may in time, until I meet with the girls, I want to give them the respect to listen, and then clarify some of those accusations with the girls.

“You’ve got to fund it through the capital event, but it’s our intent to have full-time Wallaroos (by 2025).”