Ewen McKenzie & Bill Pulver
The Australian Rugby Union is rejecting reports it is preparing to replace Ewen McKenzie as Wallabies coach.
Australian media say talks have taken place between senior union officials and McKenzie’s most-likely successor, New South Wales Waratahs coach Michael Cheika.
But in a statement late Monday ARU Chief Executive Bill Pulver said: “the ARU has not had any conversations with any other coaches regarding the Wallabies coaching position.
“Ewen [McKenzie] is coaching the team [against the All Blacks] this weekend and next Friday he will board the plane with the team for the November Tests tour [to Britain] and is contracted to Australian Rugby to lead the Wallabies to next year’s Rugby World Cup.”
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Australia’s recent Rugby Championships loss to Argentina left McKenzie with a 52 percent win rate as Wallabies coach.
McKenzie has been increasingly drawn into a disciplinary process involving Wallabies utility back Kurtley Beale who is alleged to have circulated offensive text messages about the team’s business manager Di Patston.
Patston was involved in an argument with Beale during a team flight from South Africa to Argentina earlier this month.
She has since resigned and Beale is expected to face a disciplinary hearing next week.
McKenzie was forced at a news conference last week to deny he has been in an intimate relationship with Patston.
Team members, including captain Michael Hooper, have since expressed qualified support for McKenzie in the face of media reports the coach has lost the players’ confidence.
Another supporter coming to the aid of the under fire coach coach is former Wallaby legend Phil Kearns.
Kearns has called for the focus to shift away from the embattled coach’s position.
“Ewen McKenzie hasn’t sent any lewd emails and hasn’t been in trouble for abusing anyone on a plane,” Kearns said.
“This isn’t about Ewen McKenzie. This is about the behaviour of a particular player, regardless of the talent of that player.”
With that being said, Kearns admits that this scandal has brought up a number of issues with the management structures of the national team.
“What perhaps comes into question at the end of season review is has he got the right management team, has he made the right choices there and how has the performance of the team been?”