‘I won’t back down’: Defiant McLennan goes to war against rugby’s unions
Embattled Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan will go to war against six rebel state unions who are trying to oust him, a move that will exacerbate tensions and draw out a long dispute over the future of the game.
Mr McLennan had until 5pm on Sunday to consider his position after two emergency board meetings were held to discuss a letter sent on Friday by six state unions demanding his resignation.
“As Tom Petty famously sung, I won’t back down,” he told The Australian Financial Review. “This is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.”
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan. Steve Siewert
Rugby Australia directors asked to halt their attempt to oust the organisation’s embattled chairman, Hamish McLennan, until Sunday evening to give him time to consider his position.
Sources familiar with the position of the Rugby Australia board, who weren’t authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said there are divisions within the board of directors over whether Mr McLennan should stay in his position.
However, the group did not decide to exercise their own control to force him out.
The six rebel member unions, led by Queensland Rugby chairman Brett Clark, wrote to Mr McLennan late on Friday demanding he step aside over concerns he had not acted in the best interests of the game.
The unions – from Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and the ACT – gave Mr McLennan until Saturday afternoon to consider his position.
The letter from the unions, which has since been made public, said the move had nothing to do with Rugby Australia’s plans to create a united high-performance structure or take control of their commercial decisions.
“We no longer have any truth or faith in his
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