Rob Clarke will hold the fort as Raelene Castle’s short-term replacement as Rugby Australia CEO, his arrival capping a turbulent day for the code that began with the messy exit of board member Peter Wiggs.
Former Brumbies and Rebels boss Clarke will begin immediately and take pressure off interim chairman Paul McLean, who had been balancing both roles since Castle stood down almost two weeks ago.
Clarke enjoyed two stints as Rugby Australia’s chief operating officer but won’t be auditioning for the role full-time.
“The game is facing some unprecedented challenges and like all rugby supporters and people working within the game, I want to see Australian rugby get through this and emerge on the other side with greater certainty and a positive outlook,” he said.
“That is a challenge that I am very willing to take on and that’s what the focus will be over the next few months while the board conducts its search for a permanent CEO.”
His appointment came just hours after Wiggs’ resignation following a disagreement with McLean over the CEO recruitment process.
Touted as RA’s next chairman since his arrival in March, Wiggs had been pushing for Australian Olympic Committee boss Matt Carroll to immediately succeed Castle.
McLean entertained the prospect, according to emails published by The Australian on Wednesday.
However, citing a conflict of interest because of Wiggs’ friendship with Carroll, McLean suggested the former remain as a director and instead promote incoming board member Hamish McLennan to the position of chairman.
Fellow board members had reportedly pushed back on Wiggs’ hasty plans that would have skipped any formal recruitment or interview process.
Supercars chairman Wiggs, who was instrumental in steering RA’s player pay-cut deal during his brief rugby posting, replied by saying what little regard he had for the board had “extinguished” and he would resign on Wednesday.
McLennan, a former Network Ten boss and News Corp senior executive, now appears a frontrunner to assume the chairmanship alongside Clarke.
Clarke has plenty on his plate, with the cash-strapped RA navigating a way back to the field while trying to negotiate a new broadcast deal.
A return to play committee is behind the code’s push to launch a revamped domestic Super Rugby season in July, while a Bledisloe Cup series remains a prospect later this year.
RA, which is awaiting rescue funds from World Rugby, faces a potential revenue hit of $120 million if no play is possible in 2020.
“Our absolute priority is to get the game back up and running across the country and supporting our community so that the game is in the best position to move forward from this current period of uncertainty in a position of good health,” McLean said.
“We believe Rob is the right person to enable us to achieve those objectives.”