A senior figure in the world governing body of rugby union has resigned from an interview panel amid claims that unsuccessful applicants for the post of chief executive were lied to.
In his resignation e-mail, Peter Boyle, the former President of the Irish Rugby Football Union, told the executive committee of the International Rugby Board (IRB): “I cannot in all conscience take part in the current interview process. The process in my opinion is fundamentally flawed and not open, fair and transparent.”
E-mails and documents seen by The Times indicate that 12 applicants for the £325,000-a-year post were not properly considered and that a meeting supposedly held to assess their suitability never took place.
The scandal could have damaging repercussions for the IRB and its chairman, Bernard Lapasset, who won a second term as chairman last year. He is known to have long-term ambitions within the Olympic movement and was a prime mover behind the introduction of rugby sevens as an Olympic sport for the 2016 and 2020 Games.
At the heart of the controversy is how the IRB went about cutting a list of 16 candidates to four, who were recommended for interview in April. The unsuccessful candidates were told by letter dated April 17 that, after a meeting of the panel to assess their credentials, they had not made the shortlist.
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“The contents of this letter,” Mr Boyle said, “were a total fabrication and lie — no such meeting had even taken place. Following further inquiries it has emerged the recruitment agent agreed the final four candidates with the chairman and they were notified to attend a meeting in London on May 4 and 5 without reference to the other panel members. In my opinion the process is flawed and the reputation of the IRB stands to be damaged. You don’t have a reputation if you do not have integrity and the integrity of the process is clearly flawed.”
The task of finding a chief executive to replace Mike Miller, who left in January, was set in train by Mr Lapasset, the urbane Frenchman who beat England’s Bill Beaumont to the post of chairman. The IRB appointed Odgers Berndtson, the respected London headhunters, to lead the search. More than 20 candidates applied and 16 were considered suitably qualified.
In April, this was whittled down to a shortlist of four who were recommended for interview by a panel comprised of Mr Lapasset, Oregan Hoskins, the vice-chairman, and Mr Boyle.
Mr Lapasset and Mr Hoskins responded to Mr Boyle’s accusations by e-mail to the executive committee. They urged that to get “this critical search back on track”, Mr Boyle’s resignation should be accepted. But they rejected his assertions about a lack of integrity. Mr Lapasset will still lead the panel but with two new members assisting him.
Had the process gone smoothly it should have been completed last month. Instead, candidates who were unfairly ruled out have now been asked whether they want to re-apply. At least two have declined to do so.
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It has led to the board confronting the prospect of possible litigation from disgruntled applicants and even a judicial review into how events have been handled. The IRB took legal advice to ascertain the level of risk it could face legally and financially. Following that, final interviews were suspended and will now take place later this month.
A spokesman for the IRB said: “There is a process in place and that process is on-going. At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further”.