ARU EGM to be held in June Series

[JPR]

The ARU has this morning announced it will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Tuesday June 20, after the VRU and RUPA voted for the meeting.
Initially the governing body had offered to hold an informal meeting last week, but scheduling meant that didn't arise, with plans for the EGM taken instead.
Under the Corporations Act, at least 21 days' notice must be given for members when holding an EGM,with this coming in 22 days' time.
The meeting, at which a voting member could attempt to roll the board, will be in Sydney just four days before the final June Test, between the Wallabies and Italy in Brisbane.
While there is not believed to be an immediate threat to the board, after the key directors were voted back in at a recent AGM, there is still that option.
The VRU or RUPA could put a vote of no confidence on its agenda, or another voting member could potentially table the notion at the end the meeting.
When the meeting was initially voted for, RUPA President Dean Mumm said he was confident any developments wouldn't overshadow the Wallabies Tests.
"I’d like to think those guys that are involved in a Wallabies campaign and a Wallabies jersey can put anything aside and represent their country with the pride that it deserves," he said.
"I don’t think it should take a shine off the Test series."
The Wallabies squad for the June Tests will be announced on Tuesday night, with the opening Test on June 10

[GIGS20]

"I don’t think it should take a shine off the Test series."
The Wallabies squad for the June Tests will be announced on Tuesday night, with the opening Test on June 10

How could it do any more damage than what is already being done?

A spill of the board might just boost ticket sales!

[jono]

How could it do any more damage than what is already being done?

A spill of the board might just boost ticket sales!

wait, we can buy tickets to a board spill? i'm in!

[shasta]

They seem to have stretched this EGM thing to pretty much the time limit legally allowed. Precious little has leaked as to why the informal meeting was cancelled last week, apart from the bullshit about not fitting with ARU scheduling. Would seem pretty daft to offer that gathering if their people couldn't be there.

[jono]

They seem to have stretched this EGM thing to pretty much the time limit legally allowed. Precious little has leaked as to why the informal meeting was cancelled last week, apart from the bullshit about not fitting with ARU scheduling. Would seem pretty daft to offer that gathering if their people couldn't be there.

I thought when it was cancelled it seemed like a power play from the ARU - not letting the states dictate the terms of a meeting with them. As well as allowing them to have another week before announcing the meeting to sound out the stakeholders as well as prepare for the inevitable EGM.

[jargan83]

To be honest I'd prefer a formal meeting as opposed to an informal meeting.

I agree with Shasta that the offer of an informal meeting only to be retracted because their people couldn't make it just looks stupid on behalf of the ARU who seem to be plunging to new depths of stupid as this saga drags on.

[MI5_Dog]

They want to have a team canned by the time the EGM comes along.
This was all a delaying tactic to allow them a bit more time to organize some sort or resolution to the issue.
That way the EGM becomes a 'non-issue'

[sittingbison]

stupid is as stupid does

Who cares if this effects the wallatahrds. The state of rugby over there is akin to hamlets denmark

BTW The full extent of the FUBARU and SNZAAFU 's incompetence etc was not on full display when the board was re-elected

[The InnFORCEr]

ARU keeps door open for five teams

Today at 4:30 PM Super Rugby
by Beth Newman


ARU chairman Cameron Clyne has not ruled out the possibility of five Australian Super RUgby teams remaining in the competition in 2018.

Seven weeks after he and ARU CEO Bill Pulver declared either the Force or the Rebels would be cut from the 2018 competition in ‘48-72 hours’, the franchises are still without any clarity on their future.

The ARU gave notice of a June 20 extraordinary general meeting on Monday, though Clyne said that wouldn’t necessarily bring the matter to a conclusion.

Both clubs have looming legal cases in waiting should the ARU make final decision, declaring the governing body has no right to cut them from the competition.

Clyne said on Monday they were still working towards a five-team competition but his language was far from definitive, as 2018 ticks closer.

“We remain confident that will result in the process coming to a potential change but it's hard to speculate,” he said.

"Every roadblock that could be thrown in front of us, has been thrown.

“When you get into a legal process it all becomes different.

“We're going down that process and hopefully we'll make ourselves as available as possible to try and get it resolves as quickly as possible.”

With the initial timeline just days long, Clyne said the legal battles that ensued from that April 10 announcement, while potentially foreseeable, were a sudden change of heart by the clubs in question.

“Could we have anticipated they would've commenced legal action? Well, perhaps yes,”

“We have talked for many years at the ARU about the challenge of the financial game,” he said.

“We've indicated that in the last 10 years we've had to provide financial assistance on no less than 10 occasions.

“In the last four years the Super Rugby tier of the game, we've spent 28 million over and above the budget of what we're spending.”

“So,we've continually highlighted this is not sustainable.

“My suspicion is that they felt that we've talked that but we would never actually go down that path.

“Obviously there was indication before our announcement on the 10th of April that, ‘Yes, look we do make that decision, (we will) go quickly.

“I think when it became a reality, then obviously their view changed.

“They're entitled to change that view but obviously that puts a lot of delay in the process.”

Clyne was quick to point to the franchises and the procedural nature of an EGM as reasons for the delay in the decision.

“You're also operating on the assumption that most of the franchises, in fact all of the franchises are supportive of the direction we're going down, they just don't want to be the team that goes,” he said.

I think that makes it difficult as well. If everyone's prepared to down tools and say in the interests of rugby, make a call, we'll make a call this afternoon.”

One thing he did rule out was the notion the ARU had plotted to buy back the Rebels licence from owner Andrew Cox, who has repeatedly said he won’t be ‘engaging’ with the ARU.

“We can't allow some things to stand out there,” he said.

“I mean one there's been speculation that we're bandying extraordinary amounts of money around to buy a Super Rugby franchise.

“That's just utter nonsense. If we had that sort of money we wouldn't be in this situation. We're in this to save money.”

Clyne, who was re-elected just a month ago at the ARU annual general meeting, said he wasn’t aware of any serious challenges to the administration at the upcoming EGM.

South Africa, set to drop two teams from the competition, is also yet to make a call on which teams those would be, but SA Rugby president Mark Alexander has indicated any axed teams would potentially move into Europe’s Pro12.

http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/05...sanzaar-update

[shasta]

That's the first time since this shit fight started that any of these muppets has referred to the bail-outs of the "heartlands". Some of Alison's hard work may have helped bring that to the attention of interested parties who have been pushing our cause in The East.

[shasta]

Is the merger back on?

[travelling_gerry]

"We continue to have dialogue with both teams"

Is this correct Hansie?

[Macattack]

Similar report here

http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/a...9759ff32496bf5

Amazing in the article in the post by TiF that Clyne implies it is the franchises fault that this has dragged on and that they have changed direction - the implication being that the Force and Rebels were previously happy to have a team cut - I would be bloody astounded if that was the case.

Short answer ARU is you have run a shit process taking your main stakeholders' compliance for granted and turned the most important decision you will make in a decade into a debacle - you are the incompetent party in this shambles! And yet you are surprised by the subsequent revolt, amazing.

[yungfen]

Impressive the amount of bullshit that comes out of their mouths..... incompetent is what they are at the head of the ARU

[SNOB]

And the question has to be answered that if they were in so much shit for the last 10 years why did they ever start the Rebels!