Hamish McLennan stands down as Rugby Australia chairman; former Wallabies star Daniel Herbert takes over

19-11-2023
4 min read
(Getty Images)

Rugby Australia have officially parted ways with Hamish McLennan, with the under-fire chairman standing down from the role on Sunday.

After a tumultuous period for the organisation, highlighted by the recent World Cup failure and the premature exit of Eddie Jones, the decision has now been made to move in a new direction in the front office.

McLennan had been urged to quit his position as RA boss over the weekend by six of the member unions, clearly showing the writing on the wall.

Daniel Herbert - a former Wallabies star with 67 caps - will step into the position, effective immediately. 

Hamish McLennan replaced by Daniel Herbert as Rugby Australia boss

In a statement released on Sunday night following a board meeting, RA announced the change in leadership and thanked McLennan for his years of service.

"The board considered that Herbert’s experience is ideally suited to leading the development of the game from the grassroots to the elite level, across women’s and men’s Rugby," a statement said.  

"In addition, he is well placed to lead the board’s continued and unwavering commitment to Rugby Australia’s strategy of aligning the game across the country.

“It has never been more important for the Rugby Australia board, working with member unions, to come together and execute the reform we absolutely need for an aligned high-performance system and to deliver on the commitments we have made, including to invest in community and women’s rugby.  

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“We note that the different member Unions are not opposing Rugby Australia’s centralisation proposals and remain committed to supporting high performance alignment.

"The board acknowledges the strategic agenda that Hamish has been instrumental in driving, through COVID and other challenges, ensuring that Rugby in Australia continued through very challenging times. 

"He departs the role of chair having been a central figure in Australia securing the hosting rights to major Rugby events that will inspire generations of players and supporters, as well as delivering the current broadcast rights deal and helping to turn around the governing body’s financial position."

The first major task for Herbert will be finding a new head coach for the men's national side, with the early exit of Jones opening the door for a fresh face in the Wallabies. 

McLennan blames battle for money and control led to his ousting

A philosophical McLennan appeared on 2GB on Monday morning, blaming a battle for "money and control" led to his departure from Rugby Australia.

“I think this is all about money and control at the end of the day, so we’ll see how it plays out. I just think there’s no doubt there’s been a coordinated campaign to smear me,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

“The results of the World Cup were pretty poor, but I think we’ve got to look at the underlying reasons and the fact is the system’s broken, and we’ve got to fix it.”