The Australian Rugby Union is reviewing its corporate governance to ensure it’s not left behind by rival codes.
Retired General Peter Cosgrove will head up the review, assisted by former Senator and Sports Minister Mark Arbib, with a report expected around October.
Speaking after the ARU’s annual general meeting in Sydney on Friday, Cosgrove said the time had come for rugby to be proactive in growing and modernising the game in Australia, rather than following the leads set by the NRL, AFL and soccer.
Motivated by improving revenue and making it back to the pinnacle of being the No.1 side in world rugby, Cosgrove, who is an ARU board member, said the review would be all-encompassing.
“If we want to be the best rugby nation in the world not just at the elite level but as a community game we can’t circle the wagons,” he said.
“We’ve got to be as creative and energetic as we expect our players to be.
“This is not a time for old men in blazers to say, ‘not on my watch.’
“We’ve got to make sure the governance of the game is appropriate and suitable and serves the very elite level of rugby, the Wallabies and the Super Rugby (competition) right down to the little kids running around.
“Now is a really important time to get out governance right so every dollar we gain … we invest properly and wisely and effectively back into rugby.
“They (rival codes) are out there and they’re very aggressive and we’ve got such a great game, we want to say, ‘and we’ve got a great governance.'”
Also at Friday’s annual general meeting, former Wallaby Michael Hawker was elected as the board’s new chairman, replacing Peter McGrath.
Former Australia captain George Gregan also joined the board as the Rugby Union Players Association nominee, as did former Western Australia chairman Geoffrey Stooke.
A reduced domestic Test schedule in 2011 saw the ARU’s revenue for 2011 being $16 million less than could be expected in a non-World Cup year.
However, Hawker said the game could expect to see a major kick next year when the British and Irish Lions make their visit, which happens just once every 12 years.
“In many ways the economic benefit to the country is quite substantial and I think under-recognised by many,” said Hawker of the large number of tourists arriving from the British Isles for the tour.
Hawker said the financial state of the game was his primary concern and the game must stay alert to ensure they’re attracting and holding onto the best rugby talent in the world.
“It’s an international market place where they can play the game.
“We want to play an entertaining game which people come and watch and they’ll only do that if we have high class players demonstrating their skills and winning games in an exciting way. It’s a circular process.”