Brumbies Stand Down CEO Jones

Brumbies chief executive Michael Jones has been stood down by the Super Rugby club’s board following a radio interview in which he was critical of the club’s finances.

Jones’ standing down followed a surprise visit to Canberra by Australian rugby boss Bill Pulver on Monday, with Brumbies chairman Rob Kennedy informing the CEO of his decision hours later.

“It was with great regret that I informed Michael of the board’s decision,” Kennedy said in a statement on Monday night. “However, I believe this decision is in the best long term interest of the Brumbies.”

The club’s general manager of community rugby, Craig Leseberg, will take over as interim CEO, while it is still unclear whether Jones will fight or accept the decision.

Jones earned the ire of club and Australian rugby officials on Saturday, when he told ABC Grandstand he was concerned about the future of the club.

The Brumbies are currently under investigation by ACT Police, after Jones called on them to investigate a deal signed by previous club management with the University of Canberra.

“If the Brumbies cease to be an entity, which is one of the very foreseeable outcomes ... the ARU will be in default of the SANZAAR agreement, because they are required to field five teams every week,” Jones said on Saturday.

“And if this organisation folds and goes into administration the ARU is in default. They are big stakes games that a lot of these guys are playing, and its fairly irresponsible of most of them to do it.”

The Brumbies took a reported $1.68 million loss in 2015, and Jones also told the ABC they have made a profit just once in the past 11 years.

However, an ARU spokesman told News Corp Australia that the organisation would step in to save the club if required.

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Waratahs Thrash Reds at Allianz Stadium

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NSW Waratahs made a successful start to the Daryl Gibson era and inflicted more misery on arch rivals Queensland with a 30-10 win in their opening-round Super rugby match in Sydney. The Tahs scored four tries to one on Saturday night, racking up their fifth straight win over the Reds, in front of 24,044 spectators at Allianz Stadium.

The bonus-point performance emulated the Brumbies’ effort against the Hurricanes and set up an early season blockbuster between the two leading Australian franchises on Friday in Canberra. The Tahs showed plenty of sparkle before the break with the new playmaking duo of five-eighth Kurtley Beale and inside centre David Horwitz prominent.

They lost some gloss after half-time as Queensland’s pack fought hard to earn their side a foothold in the game. First-half tries to captain and openside flanker Michael Hooper, winger Matt Carraro and debutant Horwitz set up a 20-0 halftime buffer for the home team. Hooper crashed over from close range, Carraro pounced on a loose ball and the impressive Horwitz touched down after toeing the ball ahead.

The Reds showed more fight against a less impressive Waratahs outfit after the break, scoring 10 unanswered points in the third quarter. Five-eighth Jake McIntyre dummied his way over for the visitors’ only try just before the hour. Needing to get three tries ahead of the Reds to earn a bonus point, the Tahs crossed for their fourth five-pointer in the 62nd minute, when impressive halfback Nick Phipps won the chase to a Beale kick.

The Reds contributed to their downfall with some poor discipline, conceding four penalties in the first eight minutes and had a man sin-binned in each half. Referee Angus Gardner warned Queensland captain and lock Rob Simmons in the eighth minute, after his team had conceded those first four penalties, that the Reds risked having someone sent to the bin if they didn’t clean up their act. 

Simmons didn’t heed the warning as he was sin-binned five minutes later. No-nonsense Australian official Gardner also delivered a stern lecture to both front rows just before halftime.

In the second half, he sin-binned two reserve props, the Reds’ Sam Talaki and the Waratahs’ Jeremy Tilse. An injury to centre and Reds debutant Henry Taefu meant Japanese World Cup star back Ayumu Goromaru was on after just 27 minutes, a bonus for the large Japanese media contingent attending the game. He scored the Reds’ first points from a 37-metre penalty in the 45th minute, missed with another attempt from slightly further out a few minutes later, but converted McIntyre’s try.

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Pocock Wins Australian Sports Personality

David Pocock’s emergence as one of the most-influential rugby players in the world has earned him the title of Australian sports personality of 2015.

The Wallabies and Brumbies back-rower was bestowed the honour, voted by the public, at the AIS Sport Performance Awards on Wednesday night in Sydney.

Pocock’s outstanding feats helped put Australia within reach of the World Cup title last year, after what was a remarkable Super Rugby season with the Brumbies. It followed two years of pain and intense rehabilitation on serious knee injuries.

“It felt like a long time on the sidelines,” Pocock said after thanking his family, friends, team-mates and support staff in a video message. “It was a really enjoyable year last year and I had a lot of support from a number of people after a couple of years out.

“The goal was just to enjoy it and just to seek those little improvements every week and I think I did that. I think that was key for me.”

Pocock is off contract at the end of the season but is yet to announce his next move. There is speculation he could take a year off in 2017 to study in the UK.

The 27-year-old is widely admired for his work off the field, which he admits is a “bit of a juggling act” but essential. “It gives you a bit of a different headspace and a bit of time away from the game, which is really important to have that freshness and enjoyment when you do get down to training and playing,” he said.

Golfer Jason Day was awarded male athlete of the year after claiming his first major win at the 2015 US PGA Championship and elevation to world No1.

A dominant year in the pool earned swimmer Emily Seebohm the honour of female athlete of the year, while the Australian women’s netball team took out the publicly voted team of 2015.

The Diamonds, who won a third consecutive netball World Cup, also shared the team of the year award as chosen by an AIS panel of judges, alongside the Australian women’s cycling team pursuit who crushed the world record by almost three seconds at the 2015 track world championships.

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