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Rugby Australia chief performance officer Peter Conde has handed in his resignation less than a year after joining the governing body.
It is understood by The Roar that Conde – the former chief executive of the Australian Institute of Sport – sent an email to the governing body confirming his impending departure on Wednesday evening. It is believed he will leave RA by March. His resignation comes 292 days after he was announced in the role.
Conde was a controversial pick within the walls of Moore Park after former director of rugby Scott Johnson, who was brought on by former CEO Raelene Castle ahead of the 2019 World Cup, was not renewed.
Conde was big on “well-being” and spruiked his achievements in player contracting and the respective national sevens teams, who both finished as the 2021-22 world champions. However it’s understood that Conde had little to do with contracting with Wallabies’ General Manager Chris Webb and CEO Andy Marinos taking the lead in that area.
It is believed Conde, who was one of Marinos’ calls, walked knowing the writing was on the wall. Previously, Marinos described Conde as an “industry leader” and said his appointment was crucial ahead of “significant, game-defining moments over the coming years”.
But ever since his appointment, insiders have questioned exactly what Conde’s role was.
At the time of his announcement, Conde said he needed to work “hand-in-hand” alongside Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and, indeed, bring the governing body closer to the Super Rugby franchises.
Peter Conde. (Source: LinkedIn)
“Myself with broad high performance and business knowledge really needs to work hand-in-hand with a coach who is the real deal at the highest level,” he said in March.
“I spent quite a bit of time with him (Rennie); I like the way he thinks, the way he approaches player development, the way he develops relationships with players and building culture.
“This is a fresh challenge, but my experience at the AIS is important.
“We really transformed the way we worked with state institutes into a genuine national institute network (as part of the inaugural National High Performance Sport Strategy).
“They all had their own leadership and governance, but we found a common set of principles … that’s quite a parallel with how Rugby Australia needs to work with Super Rugby clubs.
“Australia wouldn’t have been successful as it was at Tokyo if we didn’t have a really effective network working together and the same would be true for the Wallabies, ultimately.
“We need to work together … realise we’re not just competing with each other, but against the the rest of the world as well as the different codes of footy.”
RA is in the early stages of its yearly review, which was likely not to reflect well on the governing body’s high-performance team.
The Wallabies, who won just five of 14 Tests and overturned a 21-point deficit against Wales in their final match of the year to ensure they didn’t suffer the worst year since 1958, had 45 injuries to 31 different players of national interest throughout the year.
Quade Cooper was one of four Wallabies to suffer season-ending Achilles injuries in 2022. (Photo: Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
The high injury toll saw an unprecedented level of injuries, with four players, including Taniela Tupou and Quade Cooper, suffering season-ending ruptured Achilles.
Asked recently for a comment on the high number of injuries suffered under the Wallabies’ watch by The Roar, Conde referred the matter to Webb.
Conde’s departure will free up more money for RA.
It comes as RA considers whether to pounce on former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, who was sacked by the Rugby Football Union after presiding over an underwhelming year for England.
RA chairman Hamish McLennan confirmed to reporters on Sunday that he has spoken to Jones over the weekend.
The RA board believed Rennie, who holds a 38 per cent win rate after three years in the job, was given every measure to be successful in 2022.
It included the Wallabies having a base in south-east Queensland, where they would travel to host cities just 48 hours out from Tests.
The RA board also allowed Rennie the opportunity to select up to three players from overseas, with the Giteau Law being tinkered to allow key players like Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete, who previously didn’t meet the 60-cap threshold, to be eligible for the national team.
The review’s findings are not expected to be revealed until late January.
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.