Rugby Australia (RA) has confirmed an external review of the Wallabies’ disastrous 2023 season will be conducted in the wake of their early exit at the World Cup.
Former Wallabies Andrew Slack and Justin Harrison will be joined by high-performance specialist Darlene Harrison on a three-person panel, while a Pasifika adviser will also support the review process.
The Wallabies were dumped from the World Cup in France at the conclusion of the pool stage, the first time they had failed to advance to the quarterfinals at the tournament.
They won only two of nine Tests in 2023 under coach Eddie Jones, who resigned from the role in the past week after taking over from the sacked Dave Rennie last January.
“As rugby fans, we were all disappointed in the results at the World Cup — the performance was not good enough for a proud rugby nation like ours,” RA chief executive Phil Waugh said in a statement.
We had a new coach, new staff and a lot of new players — many of whom have only just started their careers, and who will be the future stars of Australian rugby.
“The Wallabies have a proud history as one of Australia’s most loved sporting teams, and it is our responsibility as custodians to continually seek to improve performance and deliver a world-class program.
“Andrew, Justin and Darlene are highly respected, and I believe they possess the credentials to be able to deliver a thorough and considered external review.”
The review panel is expected to deliver its findings on the “strategy and structure” of the Wallabies’ performance before the end of the year.
Slack played 39 Tests for the Wallabies, who he led to their famous 1984 Grand Slam triumph and 1986 Bledisloe Cup series victory.
In retirement, he served as a Wallabies selector and coached the Queensland Reds in 2003.
Justin Harrison appeared in 34 Tests for the Wallabies and is Rugby Union Players Association chief executive, as well as a commentator with Stan Sport.
Darlene Harrison has worked as UK Sport’s head of coaching, in addition to holding roles with the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Institute of Sport.
(ABC)
