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While the hunt begins for a new Rugby Australia chief executive, Raelene Castle is confident her resignation won’t affect the tenure of incoming Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.
Castle offered her resignation on Thursday night after being told she no longer had the support of the RA board, joining NRL boss Todd Greenberg out the door after he also stepped down this week.
Castle seemingly had no inkling of her fate, completing a television on Thursday afternoon where she talked of her commitment to the role despite mounting pressure.
It reached fever pitch this week when ten former Wallabies captains, including her possible replacement Phil Kearns, signed a letter calling for change.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
She was asked by the ABC if fellow Kiwi Rennie would continue with his appointment as Test coach if she wasn’t his boss. Before the coronavirus pandemic shut down world sport he was set to arrive Australia in June.
“I’ve got a leadership style that he supports and would like to work with,” Castle said.
“But ultimately he knows that things can change and I know he has a desperate desire to coach the Wallabies. He’s done a lot work and he’s excited about the young talent coming through.
“He will come here regardless of where I sit.”
Castle’s last year in the position was divisive, mostly due to the sacking of superstar Israel Folau and the costly legal battle that followed.
Castle stood by her decision to sack Folau after his repeated homophobic comments on social media despite it costing the financially stretched organisation millions in a legal settlement.
“I don’t think you could go through a situation like that and not look back and think there’s some things you could have done differently,” Castle told ABC.
“But we made a decision we felt was in the best interests of the sport and we stood up for our values and at the ultimate decision point we wouldn’t have made any different decision.”
© AAP
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.