It’s long been said that certain things and people just keep floating to the top.
Controversial former Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle has been appointed to the most senior sports administration role New Zealand.
Australia’s gain is certain to be New Zealand’s loss. Castle utterly bollixed her job at RA. Her failure to secure a broadcasting deal with Fox Sports cost RA a 25-year partnership and tens of millions of dollars. Her unconscionable bullying of Israel Folau over his Christian beliefs cost RA their star player and alienated fans. Match crowds plummeted.
Now, she’s no doubt ready to repeat her track record of failure back ‘ome in New Zealand.
Castle, 49, who quit RA as the organisation plunged into chaos earlier this year, has been named chief executive of Sport New Zealand.
She is the first woman to lead the organisation, which is the overarching governing body for all sport and recreation bodies in New Zealand.
It’s all apiece with New Zealand’s slide into woke irrelevance.
Castle stepped down from her position at RA in April after learning she had lost the faith of her board, although perhaps more correctly directors realised her position had become untenable and that there was no way RA could progress on any front while she remained as CEO. Castle was a polarising figure in Australian rugby, particularly after Wallabies fullback Israel Folau was sacked after making a series of homophobic social media posts.
Bill Moran, the chairman of Sports New Zealand, said in a statement: “Raelene brings tremendous breadth and depth of experience as a CEO in sports administration and is a proven people and organisational leader. The Board of Sport NZ see her has the ideal person to lead our organisation forward as we continue our important work in addressing declining participation among young people and protecting the strength and integrity of our sector.”
“Declining participation”? Has he even followed the steep fall in attendances in Australia? These people really do live in a world where lead balls bounce.
Castle, who was in charge of New Zealand netball and then chief executive of Canterbury Bulldogs NRL club before taking up the role with Rugby Australia, said her experience in Australia had prepared her for the new role.
“My time in Australasian sport has shown me the critical role sport and recreation play in bringing communities together and the positive impact those experiences have on society,” Castle said.
“Bringing communities together” says the most divisive person to run a sporting code in Australia in recent memory.
Oh, well: if Raelene works her usual magic on New Zealand, it looks like Australia might have some hope against the All Blacks soon, after all.
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