Australia
Pulver admits his responsibility in McKenzie's demise
ESPN Staff
October 20, 2014
Bill Pulver faces the media © Getty Images
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Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver has admitted his decision to overhaul the ARU's high performance program in 2012 - essentially giving former-Wallabies coach Ewan Mckenzie more responsibility - could have been a major factor in the 49-year-old's shock resignation on Saturday night.

When McKenzie was first appointed coach of the Wallabies he was given total control of the ARU program and Pulver, in hindsight, believes this decision should have been better managed.

"So the first objective I had was to make sure that Ewan as Wallaby coach was not only accountable for the performance of the team, but that he also had the tools in place to deliver the result he wanted. In essence I allowed Ewan to hire all of the off-field team around him and to control the on-field environment he was working with," Pulver said.

"That still doesn't stop me from reflecting on areas where perhaps I should have given him more support and that's a reflection I think that will take place in the coming weeks."

ESPN scrum's Greg Growden believes the rift between players and ARU officials is continuing to grow and it's become obvious that something needs to be done. Growden has also reported that, "Pulver has lost the confidence of several important players".

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said on Sunday that the playing group had not lost faith in McKenzie, but didn't comment when asked if he had resigned too soon.

After a tumultuous few weeks for the ARU it's probably safe to assume that McKenzie won't be the last to go.

Brace yourself for the falling ARU dominos.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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