John O'Neill has stood down as chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) after a collective 14 years as the code's top administrator.
He was due to step down from running Australian rugby in 2013, but is now going a year early and will finish at the ARU at the end of the month.
O'Neill said his age, 61, and a 25-year run as a chief executive in sport and banking influenced his decision to leave the ARU and continue as a non executive chairman of casino management group Echo International.
The experienced sports administrator will continue to work with the ARU as its representative on the International Rugby Board (IRB) and as board member of the Rugby World Cup planning the 2015 tournaments in England and Japan respectively.
O'Neill held the position of ARU chief executive from 1995 to 2003, overseeing a golden period of Australian rugby which culminated in the Wallabies' 1999 World Cup win, before hosting the showpiece event in 2003.
The ARU forced O'Neill out in 2004, but reappointed him in 2007 after a stint with Football Federation of Australia where he oversaw the introduction of the A-League and the Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 34 years.
O'Neill's second stint with the ARU saw the appointment of Robbie Deans as coach, who guided the Wallabies to a Tri-Nations title in 2011, before losing to New Zealand in the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-final.
Although expressing regret the Wallabies have slipped somewhat from the top of the world rugby tree he is proud of what they achieved under his reign.
"The Wallabies are an iconic team, I'm sorry they are not number one but hope fully they will get there," O'Neill told reporters.
ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll, who worked under O'Neill at the ARU and FFA, will act as caretaker while a global search is conducted for O'Neill's replacement.
O'Neill says he believes his successor will be able to lift Australian rugby to new heights.
"I am honoured during my second term at the ARU to have played a role in shaping the transformation of the game," he said.
"Australian Rugby has a rich culture and a proud history, but we have also been working to rapidly modernise and evolve the game.
"I believe the key planks necessary to drive that development are in place, allowing my successor to build on the solid foundations rugby enjoys and take it to the next level of success.
"There are other challenges for me to pursue outside the game now, although my involvement at an IRB and Rugby World Cup level will ensure I have a strong ongoing connection."
ARU chairman Michael Hawker said O'Neill had been a committed servant to the game and had laid the foundations for an important phase in Australian rugby.
"John has been a great servant of rugby in Australia over two decades and has achieved the key objectives of a five-year strategic plan since re-joining the ARU in 2007," Hawker said.
"John’s resignation enables the board to put in place new leadership to build on that platform and to drive our substantial agenda over the next five years, while enabling John to focus on his broader business interests."
Tags: rugby-union, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia First posted October 12, 2012 10:07:02