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ARU CEO Bill Pulver regrets some “emotional” comments he made after Ewen McKenzie resigned but says he still wants to lead Australian rugby out of its recent turmoil.
“I do want to be the man to lead Australian rugby forward,” Pulver told Fox Sports on Friday.
“The decision on whether I am, really resides with my board of directors.”
“I’m happy to have that issue in their hands.”
Pulver’s leadership has been under the microscope through the drawn out Kurtley Beale text message and aircraft row sagas and demise of McKenzie as Wallabies coach.
Pulver sought to draw a line under weeks of discontent on Friday when he fronted for a television interview after the ARU finally wrapped up the Beale cases by fining the controvery-dogged star $3000 over his in-flight row with Wallabies officials last month.
That followed the $45,000 fine an ARU tribunal imposed on Beale last week for his offensive text message sent to Wallabies business manager Di Patston.
Pulver has been criticised for not ensuring a swifter conclusion to such damaging affairs.
But he strongly defended the process and pointed out that much of the delay came when Beale’s legal advisers obtained an additional 11 days to prepare their case for the tribunal.
Pulver admitted he should have handled himself better in the immediate aftermath of McKenzie’s shock resignation following the final Bledisloe Cup Test in Brisbane.
Fronting reporters after McKenzie’s media conference, Pulver at first expressed disappointment with the rugby public before switching to slamming the media for its reporting on McKenzie over the Beale text issue.
“I certainly did not mean to blame the Australian rugby public for the demise of Ewen McKenzie,” said Pulver.
“On reflection, I probably should not have made those comments.”
Complaints the Beale saga had been unnecessarily drawn out were unjustified, said Pulver.
“In terms of due process, I think it’s a case study for it,” he said.
Information relating to the lewd text message Beale inadvertenbtly sent to Wallabies staffer Di Patston had come to light on October 7, with an original tribunal hearing slated for the 13th.
It was only rescheduled for October 24 after Beale’s lawyers made their request.
“We moved very quickly on the front end of this,” Pulver said.
“While it looks like there’s been quite a bit of time elapsed to get to a conclusion, I think the process has made a lot of sense.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.