In becoming the first state to sign up,NSW Rugby also agreed to hand over the whole Waratahs business – including commercial operations – but Queensland and the Brumbies have made it clear they don’t plan to follow suit,and will only agree to high-performance alignment.
The Brumbies blasted RA for their“appalling” treatment in what they perceived to be a hostile takeover,which included sending auditors into the club to check its solvency. The Brumbies responded via legal letters,threatening court action.
Phil Waugh says relations between RA and the Brumbies have improved.Credit:Getty
But Waugh said he’d had constructive conversations with Brumbies CEO Phil Thomson last week.
“I sat down with Thommo last week and had a sensible conversation. There was some[legal] tick-tacking but there was a little bit of misinformation circling around which we clarified,and I think we’re in a pretty good spot,hopefully,” Waugh said.
“We don’t see it as a takeover,we see it as integration and partnership and alignment. And I think some of those concerns around the location of the Brumbies,and the commercial elements,is seen as a takeover,but we don’t view it as that. At the end of the day,our member unions and the community owns rugby,not Rugby Australia.”
Chief among the Brumbies’ concerns about RA owning the club was a fear they could be shut down or relocated in the future. Waugh said he had given guarantees that the Brumbies wouldn’t be moved.
Rob Valentini on the charge for the Brumbies.Credit:Getty
“Right now,the Brumbies have been with us and dominating since sort of 1996. It’s not in anyone’s interest to be trying to shift that team anywhere else. There’s certainly hasn’t been that conversation anyway.”
Waugh said he is hoping to appoint the new RA high-performance director by Christmas,and have their help in appointing a new Wallabies coach by the start of Super Rugby. He is hopeful negotiations for the remaining four Super Rugby sides to integrate with the national high-performance system will be “swift” but wouldn’t give a timeline.
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“It’s been really important to talk through the high-performance benefits,” Waugh said. “Most importantly right now it’s actually building trust and credibility with our member unions given where we’re at. We’re having really productive conversations with our other member unions.”
NSW Rugby chief executive Paul Doorn said the oldest state union agreed to sign over the Waratahs because of the need to drastically change the broken,antagonistic governance structure in Australia.
“You know the old saying,if you build it,they will come. We do believe that the structure will follow the strategy,” Doorn said.
“We have trust in rugby Australia. I think Phil’s demonstrated to us that there is a plan we’re working through exactly what that looks like for our club. We want to be able to work really closely,get some quick wins to demonstrate that it can actually work and it is,and it does have an impact.”