Should Raelene Castle's sorry exit claim Dave Rennie too, Australian rugby will long regret the unrelenting vendetta that raged against the oust New Zealand administrator.
Other than perhaps Eddie Jones, Rennie is the best appointment to lead the Wallabies since their second World Cup crown in 1999.
After yearsof mediocrity – 16 years since the Wallabies last held the Bledisloe Cup – Rennie's appointment and his subsequent assembling of a classy coaching team promised a resurrection.
Finally, a hint of light illuminated the gold jersey.
Simply put, the Wallabies could not have hoped to land a better coach.
Let's be real in that the Wallabies are not an attractive proposition – much more a poisoned potion waiting to be slipped into a drink by the meddling Sydney old boys.
This week's extraordinary letter signed by 11 former Wallabies captains, which offered no solutions, speaks to the overt influences infecting their game.
Castle's resignation, following months of undermining attacks and eventual lack of faith from the board, could have major implications for Rennie's new role.
Raelene Castle and Dave Rennie. Photo / Getty
Despite being paraded on a 10-day visit in January, Rennie's four-year deal is now in serious jeopardy.
Losing such a qualified mentor, someone with two Super Rugby titles and widespread respect to his name, after pushing out the chief executive would be an embarrassing state of affairs.
First and foremost Rennie is a man of integrity – anyone who has had anything to do with him will attest to his character.
He will be disgruntled, to put it mildly, at the way Castle has been treated both behind the scenes and in full public view, which may lead to a change of heart.
Sure Castle is not the perfect administrator. Elements of her handling of the Israel Folau saga left her exposed, as did the recent standoff with players over a wage cut.
The failure in particular to secure a broadcast deal was the divisive sticking point – yet she was close to an agreement with Optus and, like everyone else, could hardly have foreseen the Covid-19 crisis.
It is, however, ridiculous to paint Castle as the sole scapegoat for the litany of decisions from several previous leaders, including Bill Pulver and John O'Neill, which lurched Rugby Australia towards their deep dark hole.
Castle inherited much of Rugby Australia's mess. Missteps aside, there can be little doubt she held the game's best interests at heart and deserved better treatment.
Raelene Castle. Photo / Photosport
In conjunction with director of rugby Scott Johnson, whom she lured back from Scotland, Castle's trump card was her influential role in securing Rennie's signature.
For all the problems facing the financially-stricken Australian game, an improved national team can quickly alter the picture.
New Zealand's whole rugby model is built on the All Blacks' success.
Before accepting the Wallabies job Rennie held several lengthy meetings with Castle in order to gain assurances they shared the same vision to overhaul the Australian game.
In Castle, Rennie had an ally at the very top. He had – past tense – peace of mind. As much as any test coach could ask for, anyway.
Transforming the Wallabies was never going to happen overnight – not least because Rennie is not due to arrive until July after completing his duties with Glasgow.
The Wallabies were well beaten in last year's World Cup quarter-finals and the country's states remain inherently divided along self-interest lines. This is no quick fix.
With Castle at the helm, Rennie could have ploughed on with the rebuild safe in the knowledge that no matter how initial results went, he could rely on her unwavering support.
Castle's presence would have allowed Rennie the time and space to blood emerging talent, to reshape the Wallabies culture, connect with communities and ultimately project towards the next World Cup in 2023.
Dave Rennie. Photo / Photosport
That context in which Rennie agreed to the Wallabies job has now completely altered.
As a female and New Zealander, Castle fought multiple battles from day one.
While Rennie would confront one of those challenges, once again this saga lays bare Australian rugby's ignorant, deep-seated resentment to outsiders.
No one could, therefore, blame Rennie if he backs out now. In many ways it would be the smart career move.
Like Castle, he could be a lamb to the slaughter. Just ask Robbie Deans how difficult it is to achieve headway with little to no support in the rocky Australian rugby landscape.
Such a scenario will be especially true if Rugby Australia opts to eventually replace Castle with former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns, arguably the world's worst rugby commentator and a figure who appears so out of touch with the modern game's transformative, inclusive needs.
If Rennie walks, the Wallabies risk not only losing their best head coach for decades but also attack mentor Scott Wisemantel, who played a key role in guiding England to the World Cup final, and highly regarded defensive coach Matt Taylor.
The ugly, warts and all truth is the fallout from Castle's exit has merely begun.
