Phil Waugh confirmed the Wallabies’ first grand slam tour since 2016, the Rugby Australia chief addressed the issue of having a foreigner as the next Australian coach. Waugh said he is preparing to make a “biggest” decision on the direction of the game, as RA looks to announce their director of high-performance over the next week. Waugh delivered a blunt appraisal of Australia’s Super Rugby franchises, saying “we’ve been too weak for too long” and “everything is on the table” with regards to how they improve the standing of the Wallabies.
As Waugh prepares to make tough decisions on the next Australian coach, he talks about his first six months in the role as “brutal”. He also mentioned that the first on the Christmas list is landing a new director of high-performance, who will be, among other things, tasked with appointing the Wallabies’ next head coach.
The festive season might be quickly coming up, but RA has several big appointments to make over the coming weeks and indeed months. Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh speaks to the media on October 02, 2023 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)Waugh described his first six months in the role as “brutal”. “I do joke that I got my head belted so much when I was playing that I missed it so much that I would go into sports administration. At least when I played it, I knew that the kicks would be coming from the opposition,” he quipped. “It’s been an interesting ride, but certainly plenty to do.”
The festive season might be quickly coming up, but RA has several big appointments to make over the coming weeks and indeed months. Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh speaks to the media on October 02, 2023 in Saint-Etienne, France.
First on the Christmas list is landing a new director of high-performance, who will be, among other things, tasked with appointing the Wallabies’ next head coach. With Ireland’s performance director David Nucifora unavailable until July, The Roar understands World Rugby’s high-performance manager Peter Horne is a strong contender. Harlequins director of rugby Billy Millard, who coached Waugh at Sydney University, is also firmly in the mix.
RA also must appoint a new Wallaroos head coach in the coming months, with former Olympian turned high-performance guru Jaime Fernandez to play a role in the appointment. While the men’s side of the professional arm has struggled in recent years, Waugh said the strength of the women’s sevens program, who claimed a fourth straight Dubai Sevens tournament over the weekend, as well as the improved showing of the Wallaroos indicated that there were some genuine green shoots.