The world reacts to Raelene Castle's resignation: 'A truly dark time in our game'
Raelene Castle, Rugby Australia’s chief executive, has handed in her resignation.
For as long as Castle has been in power, she has attracted criticism from around Australia.
Perhaps some of that criticism has been substantiated.
In Castle’s two and a half years in charge, the Wallabies have dropped from 4th in the World Rugby rankings to 7th while Israel Folau’s highly publicised legal battle with Rugby Australia no doubt damaged Castle’s reputation in some people’s minds.
The sport has also attracted a smaller audience year upon year – although that was already the trend before Castle took over at the end of 2017.
However, Castle has seemingly attracted criticism as much for her outsider status in the game as anything related to her performance as chief executive.
Rugby in Australia has historically been run by private school-educated, male Australians. Castle is none of those things and from the moment she was appointed, she faced opposition.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_WPLxvgnsF/
In the last week, 11 former Wallabies captains signed their names to a letter criticising how the game has been run in Australia, implicating Castle in the mess.
However, the level-headed among us will be painfully aware that the issues with the game in Australia started long before Castle came into power.
John O’Neill, the man who led RA from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2013 told The Australian that his longevity was helped by the success of the Wallabies during his tenure, who won the World Cup in 1999 and made the grand final on home soil in 2003.
“If you have winning Super Rugby and Wallaby teams on a consistent basis then administrators look OK,” O’Neill said. “The nexus is so damn obvious. I oversaw a glorious period of on-field success, which made me look like a genius off-field. It’s as simple as that.”
New Zealand Rugby have issued a statement regarding the resignation of Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle.https://t.co/CVgNwpVeoX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 23, 2020
Castle has had no such luck, with the Australian national side tumbling out of last year’s World Cup in the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately, barely two years in charge hasn’t given Castle much time to stamp her mark on the Wallabies, with the current crop of players mostly products of previous eras.
Notably, the age-grade Australian sides have flourished in recent times, with the Junior Wallabies making the Under 20 World Championship final last year and the Australian Schoolboys making fools of their Kiwi rivals.
The national side will no doubt benefit from these improvements in the future – but Castle won’t be around to see the results.
These facts haven’t been lost on many of the game’s fans, who have taken to social media in the wake of Castle’s resignation:
A commentor who played for a decade says she didn't get his buy in.
3. What have you been doing since you stopped playing. Is it just the Wallabies you support? Raelene doesnt need to walk you down tothe local club to watch or contribute.
So many people focused on how she looks.— 𝙅𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨 🖤🏉 (@LeapingFences) April 23, 2020
Here’s a wild idea Rugby…. stay with me… what if… you appealed to everyone… and not just…. the private school elite 😱😱😱 #rugby @rugbyau
— Jelisa Apps (@JelisaApps) April 23, 2020
Apart from inheriting a shit fight, working for a sub-standard Board, taking on Foxtel and winning the CEOs job over Phil Kearns, what has @raelenecastle done wrong 🤷🏼♂️. I despair for the game I love.
— Cranky old rugby ref (@Cranky_Old_Ref) April 23, 2020
Don’t want to prescribe a narrative to it from the outside. But this feels like a very Australian narrative.. strong female leader kicked out for not being one of the boys.
— Rugby Report Card (@rugby_podcast) April 23, 2020
What a sorry episode. A truly dark time in our game. I feel for Raelene Castle and the RA staff. I hope the 11 Captains are happy, because i don't think many others will be.
— Hugh Cavill (@hughcavill) April 23, 2020
last year I attended a Rugby Lunch put on by the property industry where Phil Kearns was a speaker (along with GeeRob and Bob Dwyer). They were asked who was one player they would bring into the Wallabies. Kearns picked a league player
— Simon R (@Rugbysmartarse) April 23, 2020
This is beyond stupid. These are ex players. That is all. We appreciate their input but why do they have any pull now?
This is not an amateur club where the old boys sit and tell you how good they were.
Rugby has evolved and Rugby Australia needs to too.
Thank you Ralene.
— Wallabywanderer (@Wallabywandere1) April 23, 2020
The gender and appearance based vitriol directed at Raelene Castle on par with the similar misogynistic hate speech experienced by Julia Gillard during her time as PM https://t.co/8sfKHgCzT0
— Lloyd Rothwell (@LloydRothwell) April 23, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Should've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to comments