ARU set to announce a new CEO

Gidday Uncle, Long time no hear. Hope you are well. Come back to the mud slinging and occasional education that is the Roar. Pulver has walked into a booby-trap set perfectly by the departing JON. Did you read about the $19million deficit that not even a Lions visit can put a dent in? Rather than a smug plug this is worrying for the future of the game in Australia IMO. Echo... echo... echo...

Jobs for the boys?

Uncle, This was a bit like receiving a garbled radio message back in the old days, chopped around by "atmospherics" & just hoping you could fill in the missing parts correctly. "Former," "team mate," "Bill." So, so close. Yes, it was a former team mate but school, not Wallabies. Yes, his first name was Bill. In the end, Bill Pulver is a very different animal to Bill Calcraft. We shall no doubt see how he goes before too long.....

My dear uncle, May I be the first to say you've been PULVER-ised.....! ;-)

Not appointing someone because of where they're from is equally as stupid as appointing someone because of where they are from. For all those moaning because he lives in north Sydney, pull your head out you ignorant rats. He has runs on the board as a great businessman. Wait until he buggers up before you criticise.

Bit of a howler, Uncle!!

I wonder if tah-man got a look in for this gig?

I see the appointment of Pulver as a decent enough attempt at getting a business aware CEO. However I see also the appointment as somewhat tainted in-so-far as the friendship etc with Hawker and the North Shore set. I will wait with open mind to see if he can develop into the man that we need at the top of rugby in Australia. I will not make any judgment on his ability until 6 months have passed. In saying that I do have that small lingering doubt that nothing will change for the better and the ivory tower may be still erect. I hope with all my rugby heart that I am wrong with my lingering doubt and that rugby will infuse itself and be a power again as the great game it is. All of you know that I support a third tier comp (have no preference as to how it materialises, Academy anyone?), and that I support the advancement of grass roots rugby and the spread of rugby beyond private schools GPS system. I fervently hope that Pulver has the same thought processes.

I agree somewhat Dennis, I honestly think the commercially stuff is the easy bit, getting the game right here is the tough part and he has no sports experience whatsoever. Carmichael has both, runs on the board. I hope I am wrong...

Nice one Johnno, all valid points you make. Pulver seems to be a rugby man so would be aware of the shortcomings in the game. There is no sugar coating the fact the game needs massive reform so it's up to Pulver to implement and get the game back where it should be. HH I hope your right re the excellent appointment. I am sceptical given his friendship with Hawker and the North Shore stereotype. We need a visionary and a bloke with stones to take the game to uncharted territory. Can Bill help bring back Bill !

Yes, Bill went to Shore, where Michael went. BUT, Bill has runs on the board, is a great communicator, and has the knack of letting people down gently when they are talking absolute twaddle. He is an excellent appointment, North Shore stereotypes notwithstanding.

throw in Phil kearns too, ex GPS newington boy, and current president of the GPS is Phil Kearns.. And the waterhosues tom.waterhouse.com. He clearly knows Mick Hawker well form there days at shore, and was photographed at an old boys social golf day with him. Interesting little neighbours group this is, and quite intimate no doubt about it. John Eales is on the ARU board, and will have a say if Deans stays on when the ARU board meet. George Gregan lives on the North Shore too, and one of Geoge Gregan's sons goes to SHORE, same school that Mick Hawker and Bill Pulver. Both George Gregan and john Eales , are both on the ARU board, and Gregan runs a few coffees shops in sydney on of which is in north sydney , where SHORE is located. ARU headquarters are also located at ST Leonards on sydney's north shore, so it's a very safe rugby seat if rugby was all about politics, which rugby is known to be. Sydney's northshore is what, west sydney is too soccer, a football heartland in west sydney, well sydney's north shore is one of the very few actual rugby heartland's in OZ, . It is also under siege too from AFL, but that is another story all together. So no doubt Bill Pulver, culturally will fit in massively to the current culture at the ARU. His son also was an aussy rugby schoolboy in 2012. Mr Pulver said all the right things today, about meeting key stakeholders at all levels of the game. I hope he really realises that rugby is not strong in most other parts of oz. JON also an ex GPS boy went to joey's which may of given him a biased or distorted view of rugby's actual popularity in OZ. I hope Bill Pulver realises the landscape , and just how far behind rugby is behind the AFL and NRL, for market share. Jim Carmicheal realised the dire situation in QLD, of the rugby culture up there, and turned rugby around , I hope Bill Pulver is not too Sydney centric or north shore centric I should say in his outlook. He has lived overseas in parts of the world where rugby defiantly was not no 1, so that may help. He did live in USA,UK, and Japan. Maybe in the circles he mixed with in Japan and UK, rug was big in specific circles, but he would of known, many likes in Japan's case , baseball and soccer more. And same in engiand with soccer's massive base, and defiantly in USA he would of known rugby wasn't massive. But it will be interesting if he has any awareness, of just how much rugby is struggling. You;d think or hope the ARU are honest with him about the figures in real terms, and how community rugby is struggling or grass roots rugby. He is an intelligent man, I just hope world's biggest he gets some hold of some real statistics of where rugby actually stands in the footy code wars, and how rugby is lagging behind for market share. And how outside of the public schools rugby needs some help. Now it seems in the private schools too, with some schools really saying how impressed they are world's biggest without he AFL's professional approach to helping AFL develop in schools.

Very rich from Hawker gloating about the calibre of the 'Global' search of 50 candidates in the press conference today. Hawker and Pulver have had a great friendship over the years backed up from The link provided by Moppy above. This bias and preferential treatment in the applicaton process is a digrace - It was my understanding that the 'Global' search for the new CEO was to include the candidate to hit the ground running. By Pulvers own admission in the press conference he is in the unknown with no prior sporting administration experience and will take time to learn and experience the structures and political beast of Australian Rugby and the IRB - I honestly believe that this will take him at least a couple of years just to gain an understanding of the dynamics and relationships involved. That's just an understanding - making an influence is a whole different scenario- especially him even raising a ripple at at IRB level. Hardly hitting the ground running. This appointment bewilders me and I feel we need to look through the disguise and see it for what it really is - Hawkers puppet show

Johnno don't think it matters too much where he was born and raised, the fact he lives in the same suburb as JON, Dingo and John Eales is the conundrum. Are we getting just more of the same leadership from the same set, similar types etc...I wanted Jim Carmichael or someone not linked to the old tie network to take over. I hope Pulver proves me wrong however suspect the ship will run it's normal course.

seems the fortunes of the wallabies are linked with the fortunes of qantas, johnno.............

Actually have now found out he was born in Scone, but his dad lives in Tamworth and his dad was apparently an ex Qantas pilot, he will fit right in as CEO , and love the QANTAS Wallabies.

He actually is from Tamowrth originally , so he is a country boy, who moved to the city for school. So he went to SHORE, but is a country boy.

Seriously, it doesn't matter one iota where he comes from. The only thing that matters is whether he is any good or not. Pulver has a very good track record as a businessman and CEO and, frankly, that is a pretty useful background for running the business of rugby. And while I like that he is a rugby man, Jim Carmichael has shown that's not essential to be a good rugby administrator. Very best of luck Bill ! We're right behind you mate.

Never heard of Bill Pulver but his executive experience in marketing is a massive plus to me. I have been saying for years that - 'What Australian rugby has ATM is a failure to to communicate' There are many qualities, directions and depths of communication missing in the relationship between rugby and its people. This fellas background gives me some hope. Time will tell. Btw I wish he had come from penrith, Bathirst, Gympie, goulbourn or Collingwood, and not Mosman. But he didn't. Oh well, lets see if he can do the job anyway.

Not known as 'Aryan Nation' for nothing. Had a mate phone me last year on a Saturday morning 'Mate, over at Northbridge, just saw an Indian kid in Shore cricket kit'.......'Did you get a photo?'