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'Sad Eddie situation' won't make Rugby Australia chairman quit
By PA
The chairman of Rugby Australia has said he will not quit following the resignation of coach Eddie Jones.
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Rugby Australia has yet to officially announce Jones’ departure in the wake of the Wallabies’ failure to reach the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup, but Hamish McLennan vowed to continue in his role as he described the “sad Eddie situation” as a “hurdle we’ll overcome”.
The former England coach’s departure just nine months into a five-year contract has been widely reported in Australia amid further speculation he is heading for a second spell in charge of Japan.
McLennan told the Sydney Morning Herald in a statement: “I came to rugby to find a way to fix it when it all fell over and despite the sad Eddie situation, this is another hurdle we’ll overcome.
“I want to stay to deliver the 2027 World Cup in Australia. That has always been the big prize for Australian rugby.
“More destabilisation will just make matters worse, just when we’re about to break through. Life is not a continuous line of perfect calls and success.”
McLennan played a key role in bringing Jones back for a second stint in charge of Australia, the 63-year-old replacing Dave Rennie just a month after being sacked by England following five wins in 12 Tests in 2022.
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But his return turned sour with just two wins in nine Tests – against Georgia and Portugal in the World Cup where they suffered losses to Fiji and Wales.
The failure to get out of the group stages for the first time came against a background of Jones denying he took part in an interview with the Japanese Rugby Football Union, both during and after the World Cup.
Despite multiple news outlets reporting that he was poised to meet officials in Japan next month for a second interview, Jones has repeatedly told the media that he was committed to Australian rugby.
Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday: “(I) gave it a run. Hopefully be the catalyst for change.
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“Sometimes you have to eat s**t for others to eat caviar further down the track.”
“I want to stay to deliver the 2027 World Cup in Australia. That has always been the big prize for Australian rugby.”
This statement speaks volumes.
He isn’t a leader.
He isn’t in the trenches week in, week out with us at the grassroots, promoting the game, trying to get young people to play the game. All for free as volunteers too, I might add.
Instead, he’s in his ivory tower, making sure that at the end of it all, he comes out clean and dry. Regardless of the outcome; good, bad or indifferent.
We need leaders who are willing to get in up to their knees in the filth and help lift the game out of the mud. Not some one at the top weighing it down.
Awaiting the response from the rest of the RA Board…..
The engineer of the bridge collapse wants to now engineer the whole transport system.
Another reactive, snake oil salesman who couldn’t read the room where a dinosaur coach who got fired for his failures due to an alienating, work place bullying approach to management.
Governance fail at its most obvious.
The Chairman shouldn’t be appointing coaches.
Eddie was burnt out maintaining his nasty behaviours in the land of Eng, and got wiped like the proverbial dirty bum.
McLennan laments Jones departure as ‘destabilizing’ even though it was McLennan’s own poor judgement which led to the disastrous Jones appointment in the first place.
When the Jones/Japan story broke it was chrystal clear Jones was lying. When asked Japan said they couldn’t comment on candidates for the job. What more confirmation do you need. That and Jones’ legal speak during his interviews: “I don’t know what you’re talking about mate”. Not technically denying it.
Hamish McLennan. The personification of what's always been wrong with ARU. 1 big self serving boys club.
He was designer & fully & only responsible for the Jones appointment & RWC. TOTALLY HIS captain’s call … that produced the worse ever Wallaby embarrassment. And then AFTER THAT DISASTER Quote McLennan “I came to rugby to find a way to fix… “I want to stay to deliver the 2027 World Cup’.
Is he in touch with reality?? ie the disaster creator thinks he's the answer to ARU success.
& so the embarrassment continues.
So much for ‘ultimate responsibility is the chief, it’s on the cheif ‘, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.
Me, me, me, I, I, I. Zero responsibility. ANOTHER example of a corporate scam artist.