Brumbies won’t be relocating from the ACT
Speculation has left club identities on edge
Rugby Australia is seeking more control
NSW Rugby is on board, Queensland Rugby are notÂ
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has guaranteed the Brumbies will continue to be based in Canberra as the Super Pacific Rugby competition stands on the brink of a sporting civil war.
The assurance comes amid claims of a ‘hostile takeover’ by the national governing body as part of a strategic reset.
Brumbies CEO Phil Thomson came out swinging in the media, accusing RA of a lack of transparency, with Waugh stating it was key the governing body operates in unison with state-level bodies.
‘We have already given that guarantee [that they will continue to be based in Canberra],’ Waugh said.
‘That’s already been committed to the Brumbies. I’ve got a really close relationship with the chair Matt Nobbs and Phil Thompson the CEO and we are making good progress.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has guaranteed the Brumbies will continue to be based in Canberra as the Super Pacific Rugby competition stands on the brink of civil war
The assurance comes amid claims of a ‘hostile takeover’ by the national governing body, with Brumbies CEO Phil Thomson accusing RA of a lack of transparency (pictured, Brumbies star Noah Lolesio)
Before leaving his disastrous post, former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones implored Rugby Australia to focus on greater alignment with the respective state governing bodies‘I do feel like since the World Cup we’ve made some better progress than where we were….there is still a lot of work to do, but I do feel fairly optimistic around the direction we are going.’
The NSW Rugby Union has committed to the national governing body, which will see Rugby Australia take over the Waratahs’ high-performance operations from January 1 next year.
This includes players, coaches and support staff as well as assets, liabilities and commercial arrangements, notably marketing, membership and ticketing.
With Waugh quick to stress ‘it was not a takeover’, NSW Rugby Union CEO Paul Doorn is confident the arrangement is the way forward.
‘From our perspective, it hasn’t felt like it’s been a takeover,’ he said.
‘We’ve sat down from the very beginning, worked through the strategy, worked through what the implications were.
‘Again, in good faith and good trust, we’ve actually got to a landing where both parties should be pretty happy with how we’ve been able to move forward. It hasn’t felt like a takeover from our perspective.’
Not everyone is behind the proposal from RA – Queensland Rugby Union CEO Dave Hanham told 4BC’s Wide World of Sports Radio in October no such move would unfold in his state while he was at the helm.
