NZ Rugby key for Castle
OPINION: Celebrating the sight of the Wallabies nicking the Bledisloe Cup off the All Blacks will be tacked at the head of Raelene Castle’s to-do list for next year.
Fair enough, too. As the new boss of Rugby Australia she has landed one of the most difficult job portfolios in any of the sports played in the sun-torched continent, meaning any affinity she feels for New Zealand, where she spent much of her life, will slide down the drain when the Wallabies meet the All Blacks.
The fact this is a tough gig isn’t news to anyone, least of all Castle who was born in Wagga Wagga but has always made it clear how proud she is to be a Kiwi.
The former Bulldogs and Netball New Zealand chief executive knows the ride promises to be a bouncy one.
Rugby is in the middle of a tremendous fight across the ditch. Pulling the handbrake on declining registrations in the lower grades and schools, surely paramount if the code is to prevent kids choosing to play Aussie Rules, football and rugby league over the 15-man code, is a biggie for Rugby Australia.
Somehow the financiallystrapped organisation needs to rebuild their depth at grassroots, which, in coming years, should allow them to direct the quality stock towards the four Super Rugby teams and Wallabies.
Following a year in which not one of the Aussie teams was able to record a win against their New Zealand counterparts, the Western Force being axed from the competition and Rugby Australia CEO Bill Pulver announcing his resignation, few could blame their supporters for saying good riddance to 2017.
Castle has to get moving on a number of fronts. First of all there is Super Rugby - the Reds, Rebels, Waratahs and Brumbies will get to work in the second round starting February 25. She, just as Pulver no doubt did this year, will be hoping for the elusive win that signals the end of the Aussies’ drought against the Kiwi teams.
Getting to grips with the combustible Michael Cheika has to be another priority.
Issuing a reminder to the Wallabies coach that he must be mindful of how he conducts himself during, and after, matches, could come sooner rather than later. The buck stops with Castle, and what boss likes to see one of their employees effing and blinding in front of the TV cameras? Cheika couldn’t help himself at Twickenham, when the Wallabies got punted by England in London last month.
Ensuring the lines of communication remain open with NZ Rugby is also a must for Castle. Already things seem cosy enough. The statement issued from her Kiwi counterpart Steve Tew following Castle’s appointment didn’t lack charm; he acknowledged ‘‘her ability to drive success on and off the field’’.
Given Tew has been in his role since 2004 and Castle was Netball NZ’s boss between 2007-13, they are hardly strangers. Tew noted he was ‘‘looking forward to working with her’’.
Those last six words could prove crucial if there is to be some warmth in the trans-Tasman relationship.
It hasn’t always been that way. When the bug-gate drama unfolded in Sydney last year, Pulver was furious that the story was leaked to a New Zealand media on the morning of the game. Cheika also, understandably, came out swinging when he denied he had any involvement in planting the listening device in the All Blacks’ meeting room.
For Castle there should be a real emphasis on building bridges with NZ Rugby, not torching them. Rugby Australia could do with all the support it can get its hands on right now.