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Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has rejected a call for his resignation from six rebel state unions but the under-siege official remains under pressure from the RA board, who will meet on Sunday night to vote on his future.<\/p>\n
Ahead of a 5pm deadline on Sunday afternoon, McLennan declared he did not intend to stand down after being sent a joint letter of no confidence by the Queensland, ACT, West Australian, South Australian, Tasmanian and Northern Territory state unions on Friday.<\/p>\n
But in a further development, the RA board is set to stage an emergency meeting on Sunday night \u2013 its fourth in two days \u2013 to further consider McLennan\u2019s position as chairman.<\/p>\n
The RA board can elect to remove McLennan as chairman and elect a new director into the role, and sources close to the boardroom discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks, said the board had been split in its support for McLennan over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, the chairman pre-empted a deadline of 5pm Sunday imposed by the states for his resignation, after which the six rebel unions would formally call for an extraordinary general meeting, by declaring he would not be standing down.<\/p>\n
In the event the board votes to keep McLennan as chairman on Sunday night, the messy battle will proceed to a show of hands at an EGM.<\/p>\n
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Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan at home on Sunday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Edwina Pickles<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cAs Tom Petty famously sung, I won\u2019t back down,\u201d McLennan told The Australian Financial Review <\/i>on Sunday.<\/i> \u201cThis is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.\u201d<\/p>\n McLennan told The Australian<\/em> he would depart if he lost the vote at an EGM, which must be held within 60 days of a request from two member unions.<\/p>\n \u201cBring on an EGM and let\u2019s clear this up once and for all, otherwise the division and backstabbing will continue,\u201d McLennan said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose of the EGM should be a referendum on fixing the constitution and centralisation. This is our moment. If I lose the vote I will happily walk. For those who vote against me, if they lose, they should walk and we\u2019ll unify around fixing the game.\u201d<\/p>\n McLennan has been approached for comment.<\/p>\n The six state unions believe they have sufficient votes locked in to oust McLennan, with nine of the available 16 votes.<\/p>\n The rebel state unions did not include NSW Rugby, the Waratahs, Rugby Victoria, the Melbourne Rebels or the Rugby Union Players Association in their plans to roll McLennan, which were formulated in a series of secret phone hook-ups recently.<\/p>\n McLennan believes the Waratahs, Rebels and Force will vote for him and if Rugby Victoria, NSW Rugby and RUPA all side with the chairman, too, McLennan must flip one of the rebel state unions to survive.<\/p>\n But that may depend on how quickly an EGM is called, given the Waratahs deed of ownership is due to be transferred to Rugby Australia on January 1, 2024. After that, the Waratahs vote has to be voided under the RA constitution, and that could increase the rebel unions\u2019 majority from 9-7 to 9-6.<\/p>\n Eddie Jones was a disastrous appointment.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n NSW Rugby last week officially signed over the Waratahs to Rugby Australia as part of the governing body\u2019s centralisation plans and the Rebels are poised to also \u201cintegrate\u201d with RA shortly.<\/p>\n Rebels chairman Paul Docherty issued a public statement of support for McLennan on Saturday, saying Melbourne believed the best path towards a new and effective centralised structure for Australian rugby was continuing under the McLennan plan. Docherty is also a Rugby Victoria director and the Rebels are closely aligned with the state union.<\/p>\n The NSW Rugby Union board were due to have a phone hook-up on Sunday afternoon to discuss their position in the event of an EGM being called. Given the deed of ownership isn\u2019t officially transferred to Rugby Australia until January 1, NSWRU still holds the Waratahs vote \u2013 and three in total.<\/p>\n Andrew Forrest has publicly backed Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Rugby Australia<\/cite><\/p>\n Following a statement of support on Saturday from Andrew and Nicola Forrest \u2013 who own the Western Force \u2013 McLennan is confident the Perth Super Rugby franchise will vote for him.<\/p>\n The Rugby Union Players Association board determines how its vote is deployed, and chief executive Justin Harrison said on Sunday the players\u2019 union was still in an information gathering phase.<\/p>\n The RUPA board comprises Wallabies and NSW hooker Dave Porecki (president), ACT lock Cadeyrn Neville, Reds and Wallabies forward Fraser McReight, Wallabies and Rebels fullback Andrew Kellaway, Waratahs lock Hugh Sinclair, Wallabies and Force prop Tom Robertson, Wallaroos and Waratahs forward Emily Chancellor, Aussie sevens stars Charlotte Caslick and Henry Hutchison, chairman Campbell Fisher and Lendlease executive Penny Ransom.<\/p>\n McLennan said he believed the rebel state unions\u2019 move is \u201can attempted coup\u201d by the Brumbies and the Queensland Rugby, and is directly linked to their opposition of centralisation reforms being pursued by Rugby Australia.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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