Rugby Australia announce appointment of women's high-performance manager

Rugby Australia has announced the appointment of a women’s high-performance manager, two days after coming under fire from Wallaroos claiming inequities in resources compared to the men’s programs.

RA has partnered with World Rugby to welcome three-time Olympic rower and Sydney 2000 silver medallist Jaime Fernandez into the new position.

Fernandez will bring a wealth of experience, most recently as deputy performance director at Rowing Australia, where he achieved global excellence in his development of pathway and Olympic athletes alike during 11 years with the organisation.

A World Rowing Youth Commission board member, RA says Fernandez is passionate about fostering the next generation of world-class athletes to deliver sustainable international success.

Fernandez will work across the Wallaroos, Super W and women’s pathways programs to develop high-performance environments and implement clear standards on the path to professionalism.

Rugby Australia is the first union to partner with World Rugby on Accelerate, a new global framework for growth and targeted investment that will fast track the development of women’s rugby both on and off the field.

As part of this investment under the Accelerate program, RA says it is also committed to recruiting a fulltime Wallaroos head coach for the 2024 season.

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh is delighted with the appointment ahead of an exciting international calendar that features the 2025 and 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cups in England and Australia.

“Jaime has a proven track record over more than a decade at Rowing Australia,” Waugh said on Tuesday.

“We look forward to drawing on his exceptional experience to further improve our national women’s programs.”
Fernandez will officially start on September 11.

RA on Monday admitted they had a “way to go” to improve conditions for the Wallaroos and pledged to keep players involved in their plans.

Australia’s 15-a-side women’s team on Sunday presented a united front in taking to social media with a statement lashing the sport’s governing body.

They claimed there were inequities between the investment and resources in the women’s and men’s national programs and said their team had been lied to.

A spokesman for RA responded to the Wallaroos, saying the governing body was “taking steps” to invest in the women’s game.