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Hamish McLennan’s tenure at RA appears to be thin on the ground
Six state representatives demanded his departure
Follows Eddie Jones as ‘Captain’s Pick’ Ahead of World Cup
Also criticized after signing young NRL gun Joseph Suaalii
If McLennan doesn’t leave RA, he will likely be sacked
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Embattled Rugby Australia president Hamish McLennan appears to be on borrowed time after several calls for his resignation.
Six fed-up state representatives have demanded he step down, with Queensland Rugby president Brett Clark saying on Friday that McLennan “is not the right culture for how we want our game to be represented” .
It comes after McLennan hired Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach – which proved to be a disaster – after Australia failed to progress past the World Cup group stage for the first time.
He was also responsible for signing Sydney Roosters NRL young gun Joseph Suaalii to a massive $5.3 million multi-year deal starting in 2025.
Now, McLennan has lost the support of most Australian voters because he “exercises undue influence over the operations and management of Rugby Australia”.
The six member unions have called for McLennan’s immediate resignation and if he does not step down they will call an extraordinary annual general meeting within the next fortnight where his fate is expected to be sealed, according to News Corp.
Rugby Australia president Hamish McLennan appears to be on borrowed time after multiple calls for his resignation
The development comes after McLennan hired Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach and Australia failed to progress beyond the World Cup group stage for the first time.
A source said: “We are giving Hamish the opportunity to retire with dignity.
“But if he decides not to, we will have the votes to move him forward. He’s a dead man walking.
McLennan is also pushing for states and territories to work under a centralized model, which has attracted widespread criticism.
Only the NSW Waratahs have signed the deal at this stage, which will see RA run its operations from January 1 next year.
Only nine votes are needed to oust McLennan, meaning if he persists he won’t be able to contest the result.
A letter written by state officials called on McLennan to resign immediately, citing a “lack of confidence in his leadership or the direction in which he is taking rugby in Australia.”
They also believe that McLennan was not “act in the best interests of the code.
McLennan was responsible for signing Sydney Roosters NRL star Joseph Suaalii to a massive $5.3 million multi-year deal starting in 2025.
“Over the past 12 months, Mr. McLennan has made a series of calls that have damaged the reputation of our sport and caused us to question his judgment and understanding of high-performance sport,” the letter continues. .
“His decisions and ‘captain’s choices’ directly led to a historic failure at the Men’s Rugby World Cup and an international ranking for the Wallabies at an all-time low.
“On top of this, Mr. McLennan’s use of player poaching to threaten other sports and increase our own stocks and performance prevents us from having collaborative conversations with other major sports to improve participation within the Australian community.
“If we do not make necessary changes to the direction of our game now, these opportunities will be lost and our game will continue to flounder for decades to come.”
ACT Rugby chairman Matt Nobbs said McLennan “is not the right person to take us forward”, while WA Rugby chairman John Edwards expressed concerns over the “financial management of the ‘governing body’ and will ask McLennan to ‘step aside now for the good of our game.’