Hamish McLennan has reportedly been relieved of his duties as Rugby Australia boss following a late-night board vote.
The decision comes in the wake of the Wallabies’ disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign and the resignation of Eddie Jones as coach of the team.
McLennan hired Jones at the start of this year to much fanfare, but his dream return quickly turned into a nightmare, with the combative coach now linked with the role of Japan’s head coach.
Daniel Herbert has replaced McLennan as chairman of Rugby Australia.
Earlier this week, six state representatives demanded he walk away from Rugby Australia, while Queensland Rugby chairman Brett Clark said on Friday McLennan “is not the right cultural fit for how we want our game to be represented.”
In addition to the Jones disaster, he was also responsible for the signing Sydney Roosters NRL young gun Joseph Suaalii on a a whopping $5.3 million multi-year contract starting in 2025.
One source told News Corp before the vote: “We are giving Hamish the opportunity to step down with dignity.
“But if he decides not to, we will have the votes to continue him. He’s a dead man walking.’
McLennan has blamed the Wallabies’ disastrous 2023 on structural problems within Australian rugby and has called for time to turn things around.