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The Six Nations appoint 'Director of Rugby'

By Online Editors
PA

Six Nations Rugby have announced the appointment of Julie Paterson in their newly minted Director of Rugby role. The role of Director of Rugby will oversee the Six Nations’ collective strategy in regards to global rugby matters, in addition to the rugby strategic direction and rugby operational matters for the championships at all levels.

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This senior appointment in addition to the recent CFO, CMO and CCO appointments will further bolster the leadership capabilities and lead Six Nations into a new phase of growth and development.

Julie Paterson joins the Six Nations from the WRU where she currently serves as Operations Director.

She joined the WRU in 1989 where she has served in a number of areas across the business dealing directly with strategic and operational matters relating to international, professional regional and community club rugby.

Julie was appointed to the Executive Board of the WRU in 2006. She is the Chair of the Rugby Management Board in Wales and a member of the Professional Rugby Board.

She also represents Welsh Rugby on the World Rugby Council and Regulatory Committee, European Rugby Board and Pro14, where she Chairs the Rugby & Regulatory Committees and is on the Board of Great Britain 7s Olympics.

Ben Morel, CEO Six Nations Rugby commented: “I am thrilled to announce that Julie has agreed to join the Six Nations Team. Her knowledge of Rugby is vast, and her expertise will be a fantastic asset for our organisation. She will be a valued addition to our existing leadership team, and I am looking forward to working with her on the development of our sport”.

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Steve Phillips, CEO WRU, wished her all the best in her new role with the Six Nations. “Her 31-year stint at the WRU was impressive and accomplished. Whilst we are sorry to see her leave, it is great that she is staying in the rugby family. I have no doubt that she will be as successful in this new position as she was at the WRU and she has my full personal support and that of everyone at the union”

Julie Paterson added: “It has been an honour to work in Welsh rugby. I am immensely proud of my time at the union but am hugely excited by the challenges and opportunity presented by this new role. The Six Nations is unique and I very much look forward to playing my part in ensuring that as a collective we continue to move rugby forward and go from strength to strength.”

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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