Patston and ARU in ‘game of chicken’ with ‘explosive’ documents filed this week
Before we begin, some breaking news. Former Australian Rugby Union business manager Di Patston has filed affidavits in the Federal Circuit Court in Brisbane, with her adverse action claim against the ARU scheduled for hearing before Judge Savatore Vasta on June 2.
Patston filed her final affidavit on Tuesday, as well as two earlier ones on April 2. It’s understood Patston’s lawyers have requested the affidavits not be released to the media. Her lawyers did not respond to requests for the documents to be released. The ARU also said it would not release the affidavits.
Sources close to proceedings told Guardian Sport Patston’s April 7 affidavit was “jaw-dropping explosive” and gives a “damaging warts and all” account of the Patston/Kurtley Beale/Ewen McKenzie fiasco.
The ARU’s lawyers, Herbert Smith Freehills, refused to release the documents when contacted by Guardian Sport earlier today. However, it’s understood the ARU is pondering a settlement before the June 2 hearing date. That settlement, if it eventuates, would be on top of an undisclosed lump sum the ARU paid to Patston late last year.
On the other hand, our sources said the matter had a “game of chicken” element to it with the ARU strongly weighing up the potential reputational damage of an open court hearing against the opportunity to clarify the nature of Patston’s relationship with McKenzie - a subject of lingering rumour and conjecture to date.
Will Skelton joins Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale in super agent’s stable
Meanwhile, player agent Isaac Moses has confirmed Waratahs and Wallabies second-rower Will Skelton has signed on as a client. Moses, who acts for Beale and staunchly defended him during the ARU’s code of conduct hearing late last year, is arguably now the most powerful player agent in Australian Rugby with Israel Folau his other long-term client.
He told Guardian Sport he wasn’t interested in Patston’s legal proceedings against the ARU. “If she had something to say about Kurtley, she should have made herself available at the code of conduct hearing. She didn’t,” he said.
Vale, Queensland Reds
And finally, let’s talk about Super Rugby round nine. There comes a time in every great sporting team’s cycle of success where you can definitively say the party’s over. Some might argue the music stopped a long time ago for the Queensland Reds. However, if rugby historians want to slam a firm bookend on the end of an era, the Reds’ clash against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld early on Sunday morning (AEDT) might as well be it.
The Reds and coach Richard Graham have been the walking dead this season. Barring a miracle, the Bulls will do the cremation honours. It’s a fitting end, one with a nice symmetry to it with the Bulls’ record-breaking 92-3 win against the Reds in 2007 providing the catalyst for an overhaul eventually resulting in Ewen McKenzie’s appointment and a slow but steady ascent to the 2011 title.
Although Phil Mooney coached the side post-Eddie Jones and the Reds’ woes continued in 2008 and 2009, Mooney did start the revival by nurturing the early Super Rugby careers of Will Genia and Quade Cooper. Indeed, Mooney has never been given credit for the work he did bringing younger players through, many of whom later blossomed under McKenzie.
And, as a final thought on the next Reds coach, why not former All Black Leon MacDonald, a current NZ under-20 coach and assistant coach at the Taman Makos in the ITM Cup? It’s worth keeping an eye on McDonald. He reads the game brilliantly, with a particular nous in coaching the transition from defence to attack off turnover ball. It will be a coup if an Australian franchise can snare him now as he’ll be a man in big demand very soon.
Bottom feeders could bite back
In other matches of note this weekend, the Blues surely must be getting closer to a win. It beggars believe a team this good could be 0-7. The Brumbies, desperate to erect a buffer against the Waratahs in the Australian conference, will have to be at their very best to topple the Aucklanders at Eden Park on Friday.
It ought to be a coin toss affair. One certainty, though, is the Blues will wreak havoc with finals contenders down the backend of the competition. In fact, the woeful Reds aside, bottom-half teams such as the Rebels, Western Force, Blues and even the Lions are more than capable of knocking off top four contenders. It should be a mad scramble to the finish line for the more fancied teams.
The match of the round is the Crusaders v Highlanders in Christchurch on Saturday. The Crusaders looked sharp last week, but they too, like the Reds, have the look of a franchise in need of rejuvenation. The Waratahs should be too strong for the Stormers in Sydney and, finally, for the morbidly inclined, there’s a planned cremation and burial for the Reds in Pretoria early on Sunday.
Super Rugby Round 9
Friday:
Blues v Brumbies 5.35pm AEST
Saturday:
Crusaders v Highlanders 5.35pm AEST
Waratahs v Stormers 7.40pm AEST
Force v Cheetahs 9.45pm AEST
Sunday:
Lions v Sharks 01.05am AEST
Bulls v Reds 03.10am AEST
