Where to for Super Rugby?

[RedsHappy]

maybe the board has had enough of him? As suggested on TWF, rightly or wrongly, he seems to leave a trail of destruction behind him, Brumbies, Rebels and now the ARU. What was Bill doing during all this, who is the CEO here?

Correct.

Plus Killer I'd add: it's an ongoing mystery why the ARU - which is meant to be under a self-declared, super-tight cost control regime - actually requires two senior, quite highly paid general management executives, a CEO and COO overlapping each other, particularly when the State RUs largely run Super Rugby and community rugby operationally.

You are quite right - Clarke has had little measurable success under his many and varied rugby leadership positions.

Nonetheless, he was 'highly regarded' by the ARU.

(Just quietly too might I add: Pulver hired the ex Brumbies CEO Fagan (with such a good track record in that job) to a senior ARU role in what was mooted to be a 'successor-type' position. He lasted 10 minutes there and took flight to the AFL. I wonder if ASIC knows his mobile number?)

 

[Ruggo]

• Merge the Cheatahs and Kings.
• Keep the Argies in the SA Conference
• Bring the Sunwolves into the Australian Conference
• Create a PI team with home games distributed between Apia and Suva and put them into the NZ conference.

3 x Conferences of 6 teams or preferably just 18 sides without a conference system. Cut the clever crap and have each team play each other once. 8 team finals series. SAZAAR to commit to annual tests against with Japan and the PI nations to ensure their progressive talent retention and development.

ARU to have serious review into talent identification and distribution to ensure sustainability for the five franchises and progressive growth of Australian rugby.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

When you say document, I assume you mean the alliance agreement? This sets out the Western Force will remain in the comp for the life of the current broadcast agreement; this could be either 2018, or 2020, depending on legal interpretations, which no doubt will be tested in court.

If I was in government, and looking to invest in infrastructure, surely the business case would note a fairly long payback period for such a large investment? It would be more like 15 - 20 years, not 1 - 3 (as guaranteed by the alliance agreement). In terms of decision-making, it's not up there with great investment decisions. Is the business case for the investment publically available?

Don't worry, Victoria isn't immune to stupid investment decisions from their own governments; Ultranet, Myki. Done bo both shades of the political spectrum, been going on for decades.

The only issue with what you have stated is that when someone (aru) enter into a legally binding agreement (alliance agreement) and then activity campaign against that agreement (trying to change the structure cut said team and chance broadcast agreement to cut that team and break alliance) then they are clearly in breach.

A large reason given to the force when they were seen by the Rebels henchmen I mean ARU bloke Clarke was that the Vic gov had threatened to not pay for the lions or the bledisloe match's when the ARU was simultaneously taking 5 million from the wa gov for the bledisloe next year

 

[KOB1987]

Here's the 10 liner on the matter in the Aus (Wayne Smith):

Rob Clarke, chief operations officer of the Australian Rugby Union and chief executive Bill Pulver’s right-hand man, resigned today from the ARU.
Clarke, who was once regarded widely as the next CEO of Australian rugby, was heavily involved in the process to cull one Australian Super Rugby team.
The process has dragged on and it is understood that ARU directors were annoyed at management over the handling of the matter.
It had been speculated that he might be leaving to join Australian Sailing but initial indications are that this is not the case.

 

[KOB1987]

Clyne is only a director but Pulver is both a Director and Management..so does this mean he is annoyed with himself?

ARU directors were annoyed at management over the handling of the matter.

 

[ChargerWA]

I guess we know who the scapegoat is now.

 

[blues recovery]

Here's the 10 liner on the matter in the Aus Wayne Smith):

Rob Clarke, chief operations officer of the Australian Rugby Union and chief executive Bill Pulver’s right-hand man, resigned today from the ARU.
Clarke, who was once regarded widely as the next CEO of Australian rugby, was heavily involved in the process to cull one Australian Super Rugby team.
The process has dragged on and it is understood that ARU directors were annoyed at management over the handling of the matter.
It had been speculated that he might be leaving to join Australian Sailing but initial indications are that this is not the case.

Thank frigging Christ
This blokes greatest achievement in Rugby is being in the Grand Final with JON for Best Self Promoter in Australian Rugby history.
I hope this is a sign that Clyne has had enough of this bull shit and is starting to act like a Chairmen .
I reckon there is no doubt that (using the popular word of the moment ) Clarke was the architect of both the Force and Rebels deals that look like they now completey expose the ARU to legal shit fights
Don't let the door smack you in the arse on the way out sunshine

 

[kiap]

Clyne is only a director but Pulver is both a Director and Management..so does this mean he is annoyed with himself?

The board are going to load up all the "bad news" onto the management caboose and cut it loose.

That won't be enough in this case.

Clyne and fellow travellers need to be pushed out the door too.

 

[kiap]

I guess we know who the scapegoat is now.

Got a feeling another one will pop up soon.

 

[RedsHappy]

I guess we know who the scapegoat is now.

The ARU is a comparatively small operation. $90m-ish in annual revenue is not a big business with large complexities to oversight.

How in such a tight bundle (and with all senior execs in the same building) and with such an important, high profile project as is the restructuring of the Australian Super Rugby enterprise could the CEO not know in considerable and appropriate detail what his COO was doing and communicating?

If he did not in fact know of it and very closely oversight it, he's just as culpable as would be the person under him doing all the doing and saying.

 

[RedsHappy]

The board are going to load up all the "bad news" onto the management caboose and cut it loose.

That won't be enough in this case.

Clyne and fellow travellers need to be pushed out the door too.

Btw, Clyne's statement today to W Smith 'oh as there's legal proceedings (re the Super Rugby cull matters) we just can't discuss any of it at all' is just completely pathetic.

Conveniently hiding behind the ARU's lawyers' skirts.

Of course there's legitimate and important elements of the cull process matters he could communicate over: how is the process unfolding, how will it be managed from here so's to conclude the matter, when and how might a resolution occur, what are the key criteria the ARU will use to ultimately decide the cullee..........and so on.

Just getting some proper communication over these types of dimensions of the situation could potentially aid players, sponsors and fans...........and in the circumstances it would be a morally correct act of leadership in this situation even if it was legally less than ideal.

Genuine leaders can never just hide behind lawyers when fundamental issues under their charge are at stake, and the best leaders never do.

 

[Killer]

all this obvious division between and within both the the board and management must have all, or most of them, running scared at the thought of all their emails being made public in a court case. Clarke seems to be a survivor, has seen the writing on the wall and is getting set before it's too late. I wonder what his severance is? Surely he won't be the last, I bet poor old Bill will get shafted, too much of a slow thinking dodder-er.
Edit: maybe my earlier prediction today of the ARU talking to Mr Cox on the quiet has made his position untenable. Surely we should get some more leaks soon on their plans.

 

[lou75]

. I wonder what his severance is? Surely he won't be the last, I bet poor old Bill will get shafted, too much of a slow thinking dodder-er.

you can't be thinking he will get a payout for resigning?

 

[Killer]

you can't be thinking he will get a payout for resigning?

don't know, but he has managed to f the ARU over in every other deal, I should think self interest would be at the top of his agenda.

 

[wamberal]

you can't be thinking he will get a payout for resigning?

It all depends on his employment contract.

 

[brokendown]

is this the beginning of the end,or the end of the beginning,for the ARU?

 

[Inside Shoulder]

• Merge the Cheatahs and Kings.
• Keep the Argies in the SA Conference
• Bring the Sunwolves into the Australian Conference
• Create a PI team with home games distributed between Apia and Suva and put them into the NZ conference.

3 x Conferences of 6 teams or preferably just 18 sides without a conference system. Cut the clever crap and have each team play each other once. 8 team finals series. SAZAAR to commit to annual tests against with Japan and the PI nations to ensure their progressive talent retention and development.


ARU to have serious review into talent identification and distribution to ensure sustainability for the five franchises and progressive growth of Australian rugby.

Have you been to Apia?
Getting there would be a nightmare and the ground is a shambles.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Here's the 10 liner on the matter in the Aus (Wayne Smith):


It had been speculated that he might be leaving to join Australian Sailing but initial indications are that this is not the case.

I guess at least you can sink your mistakes in that sport

 

[I like to watch]

you can't be thinking he will get a payout for resigning?

Without doubt.
That's how they do business

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Without doubt.
That's how they do business

to be fair - resigning might have been his greatest contribution to Australian rugby