Wallabies job opened to outsiders
Wallabies job opened to outsiders
Rupert Guinness
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
NEW Australian Rugby Union chairman Peter McGrath has vowed the appointment of the next Wallabies coach will not be influenced by nationality.
That means the door is open for overseas parties to join Australian coaches in the race to replace John Connolly, who leaves after the World Cup.
McGrath said the issue was likely to be brought up at the next ARU board meeting, in Sydney on Friday week.
It is expected the newly elected board chaired by McGrath will start nutting out a formal process to find Connolly's successor.
It may include the forming of a subcommittee such as the one set up to appoint the ARU's next chief executive after Gary Flowers leaves the post that day.
Asked about the Wallabies coaching position and if foreigners would be considered, McGrath made it clear that talent and credentials were the priority. "The board has been very, very clear … that it makes sure we pick the best person that is available," he said when asked if non-Australians could apply.
Asked three more times if that meant a foreigner could be considered, he would not rule it out, but repeated the board would look for the "best person".
McGrath, who is determined to create transparency in every process put in place by the board, is also aware that he has ties with two potential candidates for the Wallabies job that could be perceived as having a bearing on their chances.
McGrath was chairman of ACT Rugby when Blues coach David Nucifora was axed as the Brumbies coach in 2004, and when the ACT side's incumbent coach, Laurie Fisher, was appointed as Nucifora's successor in 2005.
Both would be strong contenders for the Wallabies position should they apply.
But McGrath said he would not allow the past to influence their chances either way.
"I am one person on the board. It is not the kind of board that is going to be swayed one way or another by an individual's view," he said. "They are obviously names I have been associated with in a past life. All I can say is that, as we have done with the CEO appointment, I will make sure the process is as transparent as we can possible make it.
"It is for that reason that I didn't put myself on - or I chose to separate myself directly from - the selection of the CEO."
McGrath also indicated that moves to get a proposal to create a new position of national coaching director across the line was far from a fait accompli.
"The board, as part of the fundamental business review, will be looking at all parts of the business," he said.
"We need to make sure that decisions are taken for the right reasons strategically.
"I am always against making decisions that are possibly Band-Aid. I am not saying that [a coaching director's position] is not a good thing.
"I am just saying that it has to fit into the overall structure of what we are trying to do. We would need to first understand the full [high-performance] strategy."
He also said the coaching director proposal was not yet a priority. "The CEO appointment is critical," he said. "But the most important thing at the moment is that our preparation for the World Cup is not to be compromised."
