'Won hands down': How Wallaby became rugby boss

Former Wallabies skipper Phil Waugh has been confirmed arsenic Rugby Australia's adjacent caller main executive, replacing Andy Marinos.

Waugh, who played 79 Tests arsenic a tenacious flanker, becomes the archetypal ex-Wallabies player to pb RA successful the role.

The 43-year-old retired successful 2011 and forged a caller vocation moving for Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and NAB.

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

Waugh 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.

He 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.

"We had an outer advisor travel successful and you representation the marketplace to spot who's retired there," RA president Hamish McLennan said erstwhile asked astir the recruitment process.

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Phil Waugh of Australia charges guardant astatine Ellis Park successful 2006. (Getty)

"We had extracurricular candidates who interviewed for the relation and enactment their manus up.

"He (Waugh) has large respect amongst the committee but it was a precise just and transparent process and helium won hands down. He delivered a basal up presentation, his imaginativeness for the aboriginal truly excited the committee and our stakeholders and helium won it just and square."

Marinos resigned successful May aft a reported breakdown successful his narration with McLennan.

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

"He's got truly precocious standards successful presumption of however helium wants our connected tract and disconnected tract behaviour to coexist and we've got to sprout for the stars," McLennan said of Waugh.

"So helium is precise show driven. And we've seen that successful his concern vocation and the committee and I took a batch of comfortableness from the information that he's been determination during the hard yards implicit the past 2 and a fractional years. And truthful erstwhile I look astatine my interactions with Phil, we've had the steadfast debates and disagreements connected a scope of issues.

"But we've ever ended up successful a amended spot and I deliberation the committee recognises that too. And they've taken a batch of comfortableness from his insights astir the crippled and however we tin thrust it harder."

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Waugh was asked whether helium would person the quality to basal up to the hands-on McLennan erstwhile they disagreed.

"I spot it arsenic a squad effort," Waugh replied.

"You'll person immoderate differences of sentiment but erstwhile you spell retired to market, you privation to beryllium having a agreed front... I deliberation we're beauteous aspirational. Not conscionable arsenic a seat and the CEO but I deliberation arsenic a committee we're beauteous aspirational and ambitious.

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

"We privation to beryllium connected apical of the podium successful each crippled we play."

Waugh said his archetypal precedence was driving a precocious show civilization and outlined his narration with his erstwhile manager Eddie Jones.

"It was ever precise robust with Eddie," Waugh said.

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

"He's evidently grown and evolved a batch but knows however to get the champion retired of each individual.

"I was 22 oregon 23 erstwhile Eddie came successful to manager the Wallabies and provided maine with this large accidental but besides drove maine to the champion imaginable show arsenic a player.

"That's 20 years ago, a lot's changed since past but I deliberation that we inactive had that existent robust narration whereby we privation the champion and the highest show of the Wallabies. And we'll enactment together."

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