Hamish McLennan ousted as Rugby Australia Chair

Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan has been pushed out of this role as at an extraordinary late-night board meeting.

McLennan's being voted out of the role follows six union members - including Queensland, the ACT, RugbyWA, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania - sending a letter to the Rugby Australia board declaring they had lost faith in McLennan and calling for his resignation following an underperforming year for the sport.

Facing ongoing challenges in Super Rugby, the Wallabies had their worst ever Rugby World Cup performance at the recent tournament in France - failing to progress from the group stage.

The campaign followed McLennan making a ‘captain’s pick’ in sacking incumbent Wallabies coach Dave Rennie in January and appointing Eddie Jones - a move McLennan was supported by the board.

After the World Cup, Jones left the position just 10 months into his five-year deal.

While media reports indicated that McLennan vowed to fight to hold onto his position, his ended this evening at an emergency board meeting.

Friday’s letter from the rebel union members advised “we do not believe Mr McLennan has been acting in the best interests of our game.

"We no longer have any trust or faith in his leadership, or the direction in which he is taking rugby in Australia."

Initially resisting the call for change, McLennan claimed the states were putting "parochialism and self-interest" ahead of the game.

He said he believed the rebel state unions' move was directly linked to Queensland and the ACT's opposition to Rugby Australia's procurement of the commercial arm of their Super Rugby  franchises as part of the high-performance alignment plans which are underway.

McLennan received the public backing of billionaire Andrew Forrest, owner of the the Western Force.

McLennan was appointed Chairman in June 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with the code in dire financial straits.

Since then Rugby Australia has secured hosting rights for the next men's World Cup in 2027 and the women's tournament in 2029.

Image: Hamish McLennan. Credit: Stuart Walmsley/Rugby Australia.