O'Neill in wings as Flowers departs
O'Neill in wings as Flowers departs
Rupert Guinness and Greg Growden
Friday, April 13, 2007
Gary Flowers's rocky reign as the head of the Australian Rugby Union will end on December 31, which could open the way for the return of John O'Neill to the game's administerial ranks.
Flowers will make an official statement confirming his decision at a press conference at the ARU offices in Sydney today. For Flowers it will be Black Friday.
It is understood that Flowers, who has often been under pressure during his three-year tenure, during which he was repeatedly criticised for lack of leadership, made his decision to leave about two weeks ago.
An ARU source last night told the Herald that Flowers had thought "long and hard" about leaving the ARU, and was aware of the mounting criticism of him.
However, the source also said that Flowers felt he had achieved his goals since taking over as ARU chief executive in June 2004.
"He had intended to make a statement at next week's ARU annual general meeting, but has now wanted to bring that forward," the ARU source said. "It is a major decision, and one that Gary has made with his family."
Flowers has yet to confirm his future after he leaves the ARU, but the Herald understands that he wants to pursue a career in the business world.
However, Flowers's sudden departure will surprise the rugby world, as many felt that his critics would beat him to the punch by forcing him to leave. Flowers struggled to win support with many NSW and Queensland officials, who were deeply concerned about his inability to show strong leadership on pressing issues - the most recent being when Reds coach Eddie Jones and Wallabies coach John Connolly had a public spat. Dwindling morale at ARU headquarters in Crows Nest had also become a concern. The Herald was told that this week, a number of ARU board directors held a secret meeting, where Flowers's future was discussed at length. It is understood that several directors decided that they should not extend Flowers's contract beyond December 31. Whether the directors had passed that dramatic news on to Flowers is unknown.
Flowers has long been compared to his predecessor, O'Neill, and it is known that those comparisons deeply hurt Flowers, who is a far more conciliatory figure than the often larger-than-life O'Neill.
Who takes over from Flowers will become the big issue, and it could easily revolve around whether Arvid Petersen replaces ARU chairman Ron Graham.
If Petersen, who is the NSW nominee to replace Graham on the ARU board, takes the chairman's spot, there could be radical changes at ARU headquarters.
The most obvious replacement for Flowers is O'Neill, who had a high profile during his years as the ARU's head, with one of his major successes being the running of the 2003 World Cup in Australia. However, O'Neill also gradually lost the support of several ARU powerbrokers, prompting his departure to Football Federation Australia. Several of those powerbrokers have since departed the ARU.
When contacted by the Herald last night, O'Neill would not comment on whether he was interested in returning to his former job at the ARU.
"The news about Gary comes as a complete surprise, and I wish him well in his future endeavours," O'Neill said last night. "My position is as it was last January. My affection for rugby is unabated. If the right opportunity came to assist rugby, I would consider it. At this juncture no such opportunity has arisen. So it's not a discussion we need to have."
