Ex-Wallabies flanker Waugh named Rugby Australia chief executive

SYDNEY : Former Wallabies flanker Phil Waugh was confirmed as the new chief executive of Rugby Australia (RA) on Tuesday, the first ex-test player to hold the post.

The 43-year-old, who won 79 caps for Australia from 2000 to 2009 before building a career in banking, succeeds Andy Marinos after the Zimbabwean announced his decision to step down last month.

Waugh has been a non-executive director on the RA board since 2018 and has a close relationship with Chairman Hamish McLennan, who has become increasingly influential since taking up the role in 2020.

McLennan was the driving force behind the sacking of coach Dave Rennie in January and his replacement by Eddie Jones as well as the big money signing of rugby league player Joseph Suaalii for the 2025 season.

Waugh, an uncompromising loose forward, played part of his test career under Jones, including at the 2003 World Cup on home soil where he was part of the Wallabies team that lost to England in the final.

Australia will again host the World Cup in 2027 and welcome the British and Irish Lions in 2025, offering RA the opportunity to put behind it the financial issues that almost forced the body to close its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic.