Aussie Rugby in turmoil

Greg Growden, Sydney Morning Herald’s Rugby Guru says that supporters of Arvid Petersen believe he has the numbers to today win the battle for the vacant Australian Rugby Union chairman’s position and if he does John O’Neill will be back as CEO.

The ARU board meeting, which will be held before the union’s annual general meeting in Sydney, will be one of the most important gatherings in the recent history of the code.

If Petersen, the NSW Rugby Union chairman, wins the vote to take over the position from Ron Graham, dramatic changes in the administrative structure at the ARU are inevitable.

Petersen, who is due back this morning from a business trip to the United Kingdom to attend the meeting, has been public in calling for an improvement in leadership at the ARU – which could see the chief executive officer Gary Flowers departing well before his contract expires on December 31.

Petersen has also indicated he is interested in recalling John O’Neill back to the ARU administrative ranks – which not surprisingly has caused concern in the corridors of the Crows Nest head office as the future of numerous employees would immediately be under threat.

If O’Neill returns, he will dramatically change the ARU structure and finetune departments which have under-performed.

Yesterday there was uncertainty how many candidates from the nine-member ARU board would nominate as chairman, with some saying that Petersen could be the only nomination, and others believing there may be as many as three. The minor states’ representative, Peter McGrath, a close ally of Flowers, has also shown interest in pursuing the chairmanship.

The other board members are Flowers, who will not vote on the chairman issue, Mike Brown (NSW), Bob Dalziel (independent), Travis Hall (players’ representative), Terry Jackman (Qld), Rick Lee (independent) and David Usasz (Qld).

If it ends up a tussle between Petersen and McGrath, the vote will be tight. Petersen’s supporters believe he will win the vote 5-3, but there is also concern that it could end up tied 4-all, which would lead to outright confusion as no one has the casting vote.

Some ARU directors yesterday were even at a loss to explain what will happen if the vote is tied.

Although NSW and Queensland have indicated they will support Petersen, both states could still be split on the subject.

Which way Brown and Usasz will vote is uncertain – and they may not side with Petersen, which makes the votes of the two independent directors – Dalziel and Lee – crucial in determining who is the next chairman.

There was also concern expressed yesterday that if Petersen becomes chairman, there could be board opposition to a new CEO immediately being appointed to replace Flowers.

Some ARU officials argue it is imperative that if Flowers goes early, a “proper process” is conducted to find a replacement – including advertising the position, and candidates involved in a “transparent” interviewing process.

Also circulated yesterday were emails from authoritative figures in Sydney clubland, stating that they support the Petersen and O’Neill move.

Long-time enemies of O’Neill were also on the trail, providing details as to why he should not be allowed to have a second term at the ARU and as expected, this issue has enlivened and divided the Australian rugby scene.

Report by The Mole