Stepping down: John O'Neill
Australian rugby supremo John O'Neill is to stand down as Australian Rugby Union chief executive at the end of the month, the ARU said on Friday.
The ARU board and O'Neill, who has been a strong supporter of embattled coach Robbie Deans, said they had reached agreement to bring forward a departure date originally planned for late next year.
The resignation will allow O'Neill - who has spent almost fourteen years in two stints in the role - to concentrate on other business, the ARU revealed.
O'Neill was CEO of the ARU from 1995 to 2004 and stepped down after successfully organising the 2003 World Cup in Australia. He spent three years at the head of Football Federation Australia before returning to the ARU in 2007.
He played a pivotal role in luring Deans from New Zealand to become the first foreign coach of the Wallabies in 2008.
Current deputy chief executive Matt Carroll will be acting CEO from next month while a global search is conducted for a long-term replacement, the ARU said.
O'Neill said Australian rugby was positioned for a bright future.
"I am honoured during my second term at the ARU to have played a role in shaping the transformation of the game and I look forward to seeing Australian rugby go from strength to strength," he said.
ARU Chairman Michael Hawker said O'Neill had been a wonderful and committed contributor to the game over a long period of time and was stepping down after having laid the foundation for an important evolutionary phase for Australian rugby.
"John's workload beyond rugby has recently grown significantly and unexpectedly," Hawker said.
"John had previously indicated he was standing down when his contract ended next year, so the timing of his resignation is now logical for both him and the ARU."
While O'Neill is standing down from an executive role at ARU, he will continue to serve as an ARU delegate to the International Rugby Board, as Chairman of the IRB Regulations Committee, and as a Board member of Rugby World Cup Ltd, the ARU said.
Comments
Realbull says...
Thanks for the overload of poor quality rugby games and for stuffing up the super rugby competition Mr O'neill!!!
Posted 20:17 13th October 2012
benski says...
HURRAH!!!
Posted 07:00 13th October 2012
Ramage says...
So the little emperor has been forced out once again. What an inglorious way to go, pushed out of a job for the second time. The first time he ran foul of the then leadership of the ARU and resigned before he was sacked. Then when the Board changed and his friends installed on the ARU he was lured back. Only to preside over mistake after mistake which is tearing Australian Rugby apart.
Then he announces his departure for the end of next year only to have the ignominy of being told, sorry John, we no longer want you and your time is up. Hallelujah indeed.
Nobody will miss this loud mouthed clown he will soon be forgotten and will take into his enforced retirement the knowledge that he presided over the worst period in ARU history. He will leave behind an enormous mess for his successor to clean up. Goodbye John your time is well and truly up.
Posted 06:48 13th October 2012
isthatrightref says...
Possum head's main failing 2nd time around has been shifting the elite players wage bill onto the "provinces" who then, not unreasonably, then expect those players to front week-in & week-out regardless of the consequences to the national team when they get injured (Genia, every minute of every Reds game, I believe) or mentally shot to bits (Beals, even if largely self-inflicted).
Also gets slammed for scrapping the 3rd tier comp but given neither of the free-to-air networks would pay for it & Fox didn't need the extra content plus he couldn't find a big- dollar sponsor (GFC & all that) he possibly had few other options... unlike football's A-League there are no billionaire team owners to rely on.
Many kiwis will never forgive him for the sub-hosting rights fiasco in '03 but really we did that to ourselves, didn't we?
As for lumbering us with 2 x S15 teams oz hasn't the financial, player or fan base to support... guilty as charged but also in the dosck should be SARU for supporting oz's 4th team in return for getting their 5th; and NZRU for abcking their 5th over an SA 6th.
@ fatty sock... even if the wobblies get smashed next week at Suncorp there's only 4 weeks until their next match so he'll be safe but should they drop 2 games on the EOYT (or 1 if it's Italy?) then, yeah, Deans'll be gone so in that context this is Hawker making room in the cupboard for that new broom he's got his eye on but hasn't yet decided to actuall buy... oh, and some of his board trying to insure their seat on the gravy train when the axe does eventually fall...
Posted 23:37 12th October 2012
Trader2 says...
does a sinking ship come into this???
Posted 14:32 12th October 2012
melkdave says...
Best news for Australian rugby since 2004.He should never have been allowed to come back.His put rugby union in a very precarious posistion imo,With his short sighted policies,and just plain bad management.Good ridance and please never darken a rugby match or stadium ever again.
Posted 10:43 12th October 2012
Bones7 says...
Put Quade in charge, he's been telling us what's wrong, let's give him a chance to change it. Make him coach as well and he'd have no excuses.
Posted 10:41 12th October 2012
fattysock says...
Cancel that about the ABs' sponsorship. Just found the article...
Posted 10:19 12th October 2012
KiwiLad says...
This is the best thing to happen to Aus Rugby since Campo..
Posted 10:19 12th October 2012
fattysock says...
Interesting. Is this the first step in getting rid of Deans then? Or at least removing the largest resistance should the Northern tour go badly?
(p.s. I'm surprised there is nothing on PR yet about the ABs sponsorship deal with AIG? I'm interested to see what others think of the deal, and jersey etc)
The editor says.... All Blacks jersey story: http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_8159610,00.html
Posted 10:19 12th October 2012
mew2000 says...
Are some of the aussie's on here going to get stuck into ewen if the aussie's are just as bad when robbie's gone? Considering half of there best players are injured they arn't doing too bad.... The problem is depth and that will not change till they get rid of at least 2 super sides for aussie,they don't have the players for it...
Posted 09:50 12th October 2012
rossco74 says...
theres $1m a year in savings
Posted 09:38 12th October 2012
Carpelone says...
Hallelujah and praise the Lord.
Posted 09:15 12th October 2012
DameEdnasPossum says...
Feeling for Aust Wine Supply there on Chandos Street. They'll have to halve their standing order for six pallets of Giacconda chardonay into St Leonards.
On a good note though, this should assist the ARU with recovering their financial position somewhat, along with the further savings on Sunny Quade's contract. They'll need it to pay out Dingo. ;)
Posted 08:16 12th October 2012
powerplay says...
No one left to protect Deans now...
Posted 07:51 12th October 2012
hobo says...
good
Posted 07:32 12th October 2012