Former cricket chief on panel to review Wallabies WCup flop

SYDNEY: Former cricket administrator Pat Howard was yesterday named as part of a three-man panel to review the Wallabies 2019 season which culminated in their World Cup flop.

Australia, under Michael Cheika, crashed out of the tournament in Japan at the quarter-final stage to England, sparking stinging criticism of not only his tactics, but his Rugby Australia bosses by domestic media.

Howard, an ex-Wallaby and team performance chief at Cricket Australia, will join four-time Olympic rower Bo Hanson and Australian Test centurion Nathan Sharpe in determining what went wrong. They will work alongside director of rugby Scott Johnson to deliver the review over the next month.

“Having these three individuals leading the process will provide a well-rounded perspective on the Wallabies programme,” Said Rugby Australia chief Raelene Castle. “It will enable us to take forward any key learnings for delivery into the major tournament preparations of all of our national teams over the next four-year cycle.”

All 2019 Wallabies squad members and team staff will be interviewed. It is a continuation of a review process conducted in 2018 that saw the introduction of a three-person Wallabies selection panel and closer working arrangements with Super Rugby clubs.

The review will run separately to the process of appointing a new Wallabies coach after Cheika stepped down. Castle has previously said she hopes to make an announcement on the new coach before Christmas, with New Zealander Dave Rennie the favourite with bookmakers.