At the late-night meeting, Rugby Australia’s chair was removed, but Hamish McLennan expressed no apologies.
Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan was fired, but he says he doesn’t regret Eddie Jones’ appointment as Wallabies coach. He says he lost his job because he advocated for state rugby reform.
Despite demands for his resignation from six member unions including those in Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia McLennan pledged on Sunday to fight to keep his job. However, following an urgent board meeting on Sunday night, McLennan’s attempt to retain his position was unsuccessful.
After associations like Queensland Rugby and the ACT opposed his drive to centralize operations, McLennan stated on Monday that “some characters up in Queensland” had taken over the game.
He told the ABC, “Those characters will say it’s not, but it’s really about centralization.” “It’s all about money and who gets what, and in my opinion, they still want to be somewhat independent.”
Though in retrospect it was a “mistake,” the employment of Jones was, according to the chairman of REA Group and former CEO of Channel 10, the proper move at the time and supported by the whole board.