Players boss Justin Harrison has urged Rugby Australia to stop playing “musical chairs” and back new chief executive Phil Waugh to deliver a “golden decade” for the game.
Waugh, who played 79 Tests as a tenacious flanker, became the first ex-Wallabies player to lead RA in the role when his appointment was confirmed on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old replaces Andy Marinos, who had been at the helm since 2021.
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Before that Rob Clarke had held the role on an interim basis following Raelene Castle’s tumultuous tenure (2017-20).
“The Australian rugby ecosystem is a very complicated one,” former Wallabies lock Harrison said on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven.
“Our governance system does not lend itself to alignment necessarily. But what we need to do is discover accountability across many different fronts and whether Rugby Australia like it or not, it starts at the top.
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“Now we want someone to turn off the ghetto blaster that is playing music and no more musical chairs for a little while. Please. We’d like to give this CEO some time.”
Former Wallabies captain James Horwill - a proud Queenslander – was encouraged by former Waratahs rival Waugh pledging to spend plenty of time north of the border.
“The states need that sort of alignment and, look, you can’t get away from the perception coming from north of the border up in Queensland,” he said.
“You look down and it’s the feeling that it’s very Sydney-centric (at RA).
“He’s going to have to work really hard to break down those barriers and those perceptions to make sure that he goes out and – he spoke about it in his press conference – engages with everyone. That’s an important part.”
Waugh retired in 2011 and forged a new career working for Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and NAB.
He has also been on the RA board since 2018 as a non-executive director and won the John Eales Medal as the best Wallabies player in 2003.
Waugh takes the hot seat at a critical juncture for the game, with a private equity deal in motion and home World Cups in 2027 and 2029 – as well as a British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 – on the horizon.
“It’s not an easy job, he’s got a tough job ahead of him,” Horwill said.
“He’s working with Eddie (Jones), a guy who coached him and would have picked him and dropped him over time. So that would be interesting.”
Another former teammate of Waugh, Morgan Turinui, was enthused by the fact that he was a genuine product of the game who cared about community rugby.
“Knows the game, has great working and personal relationships with RUPA and all of the states, Sam Cordingley (at the Reds), for example, all the sort of ex-teammates and bits and pieces… it’s great for continuity and that he has been part of that board process.
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“He knows the game, he knows all the stakeholders, he knows sponsors.
“There is always that hesitation around that ‘top end of town’ corporate experience of Phil, where that sits. But I think that’s outweighed by the knowledge of rugby itself.”
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