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ARU looks to extend O'Neill's reign
- Wayne Smith
- From: The Australian
- September 02, 2010 12:00AM
THE ARU is considering asking John O'Neill to stay on as chief executive for another two years when his contract expires at the end of next year.
O'Neill rejoined the ARU as chief executive in June 2007 on a five-year contract and it was widely expected he would make his departure after next year's World Cup in New Zealand. The thinking was that if the Wallabies do well in the tournament, it would be the appropriate note on which to leave; if badly, then it would signal the need for a change regardless.
But it is understood the ARU board now believes that with the Australian sporting marketplace becoming ever more volatile, O'Neill, controversial though he often is, could provide much-needed stability through to the end of the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
ARU chairman Peter McGrath yesterday declined to reveal any details of its succession planning, but did confirm that "the board has been in discussion with John about the needs of Australian rugby going forward".
The next three years are shaping up as critical to the future of the game in Australia, starting with the launch next season of the expanded Super 15 competition, featuring the new Melbourne Rebels side. While O'Neill and the Victorian rugby community came to blows, he nonetheless was one of the key driving forces behind the expansion of the tournament and its critical division into three separate conferences to provide more derbies.
Otherwise, next year looms as a killer financially for Australian rugby. Because of the World Cup, there will be none of the usual inbound Tests in June, while the Tri-Nations tournament will be scaled down from six Tests per country to just four, meaning one less home match.
Given there were four June Tests this year, that means the ARU will derive revenue from five fewer internationals next year.
Although the International Rugby Board will distribute World Cup funds, that allocation will not be enough to make up for what the ARU views as the "triple whammy" of significantly reduced gate takings, sponsorship and broadcast rights next year.
The 2012 season will see the Tri-Nations become the Four Nations following the admission of Argentina, another venture heavily involving O'Neill in the planning stages.
But the 2013 Lions tour looms as the make-or-break event for Australian rugby, as it is looking like the biggest money-spinner in Australian rugby history outside of the 2003 World Cup.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225913015430
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