Rugby great's plea to stop 'musical chairs'

Players brag Justin Harrison has urged Rugby Australia to halt playing "musical chairs" and backmost caller main enforcement Phil Waugh to present a "golden decade" for the game.

Waugh, who played 79 Tests arsenic a tenacious flanker, became the archetypal ex-Wallabies player to pb RA successful the relation erstwhile his assignment was confirmed connected Tuesday.

The 43-year-old replaces Andy Marinos, who had been astatine the helm since 2021.

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New Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh astatine Allianz Stadium. (Getty)

Before that Rob Clarke had held the relation connected an interim ground pursuing Raelene Castle's tumultuous tenure (2017-20).

"The Australian rugby ecosystem is simply a precise analyzable one," erstwhile Wallabies fastener Harrison said connected Stan Sport's Rugby Heaven.

"Our governance strategy does not lend itself to alignment necessarily. But what we request to bash is observe accountability crossed galore antithetic fronts and whether Rugby Australia similar it oregon not, it starts astatine the top.

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Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh walks adjacent to president Hamish McLennan. (Getty Images for Rugby Australia)

"Now we privation idiosyncratic to crook disconnected the ghetto blaster that is playing euphony and nary much philharmonic chairs for a small while. Please. We'd similar to springiness this CEO immoderate time."

Former Wallabies skipper James Horwill - a arrogant Queenslander - was encouraged by erstwhile Waratahs rival Waugh pledging to walk plentifulness of clip northbound of the border.

"The states request that benignant of alignment and, look, you can't get distant from the cognition coming from northbound of the borderline up successful Queensland," helium said.

David Croft of the Reds is tackled by Phil Waugh of the Waratahs. (Getty)

"You look down and it's the feeling that it's precise Sydney-centric (at RA).

"He's going to person to enactment truly hard to interruption down those barriers and those perceptions to marque definite that helium goes retired and - helium spoke astir it successful his property league - engages with everyone. That's an important part."

Waugh retired successful 2011 and forged a caller vocation moving for Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and NAB.

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh with his lad Arthur. (Getty)

He has besides been connected the RA committee since 2018 arsenic a non-executive manager and won the John Eales Medal arsenic the champion Wallabies subordinate successful 2003.

Waugh takes the blistery spot astatine a captious juncture for the game, with a backstage equity woody successful question and location World Cups successful 2027 and 2029 - arsenic good arsenic a British and Irish Lions circuit successful 2025 - connected the horizon.

"It's not an casual job, he's got a pugnacious occupation up of him," Horwill said.

Eddie Jones talks with Phil Waugh successful 2004 successful Adelaide. (Getty)

"He's moving with Eddie (Jones), a feline who coached him and would person picked him and dropped him implicit time. So that would beryllium interesting."

Another erstwhile teammate of Waugh, Morgan Turinui, was enthused by the information that helium was a genuine merchandise of the crippled who cared astir assemblage rugby.

"Knows the game, has large moving and idiosyncratic relationships with RUPA and each of the states, Sam Cordingley (at the Reds), for example, each the benignant of ex-teammates and bits and pieces... it's large for continuity and that helium has been portion of that committee process.

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"He knows the game, helium knows each the stakeholders, helium knows sponsors.

"There is ever that hesitation astir that 'top extremity of town' firm acquisition of Phil, wherever that sits. But I deliberation that's outweighed by the cognition of rugby itself."

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