Rugby Australia chairman Paul McLean has thrown his support behind departed CEO Raelene Castle, claiming she was constantly on the receiving end of abhorrent bullying from "faceless people" during her tenure as boss.
Castle resigned from her role last night, with a search for a new CEO officially beginning on Monday while McLean replaces her in the interim.
The former Wallabies skipper praised Castle's dedication to the organisation and said it was the criticisms that most people didn't see that prompted her to quit.
"Criticism is easy, being cynical is easy, but decision making is tough," McLean said.
"She was able to do that and do that with some clarity.
A group of 11 former Wallabies captains wrote to Rugby Australia earlier this week calling for a leadership change at the governing body, while Castle also had her fair share of critics in the media.
However, it was the criticisms from the "silent forces" that hit the hardest, says McLean.
"It's the silent forces, the dark forces that upset me most," he said. "It's the people who didn't ask, didn't know the facts or just one of those faceless people out there that was the damaging thing from her perspective and she shared some of that with me, which I found quite abhorrent.
"(If not for the) unwarranted criticism and, in fact, bullying, I think it might have been a different scenario."
Raelene Castle. Photo / Photosport
Speaking to Newstalk ZB yesterday, Castle admitted that "inaccurate" criticisms were difficult to deal with.
"It's not easy when you pick up a paper and see things written that are either inaccurate or running an agenda," she said. "But the most important thing is the people around you understand you and support you.
"I've got a few trusted advisors that support me, and they also tell me when I've got it wrong. When they tell me I've got it wrong, that's when I know that there are people who I need to answer to."
McLean said Castle's departure was inevitable in the end but insisted that most people in her position would have "thrown in the towel ages ago".
However, he played down the impact of the letters from the Wallabies ex-captains.
"I've had numerous conversations with Nick Farr-Jones and, let's be clear here, it's a very small collective of (those) people who have been involved in the game of late," he said.
"The significance of that group is probably the people that aren't on the list."
Phil Kearns – one of the former captains who put their name to the letter – along with newly installed board member Peter Wiggs and former Wallaby Daniel Herbert are among the few names touted to replace Castle.
