Rugby Australia takes over high performance from top state

RA said in August provincial member unions had agreed on structural reforms which will push Australia closer to the centralised models of New Zealand and Ireland, where provinces answer to the national body on high performance decisions affecting test rugby.

On Tuesday, RA said the New South Wales Waratahs and the NSW Rugby Union had become Australia's first Super Rugby club and member union to formally commit to RA's plan to align the sport across the country.

"RA will effectively take responsibility for the Waratahs’ high performance operations. NSWRU will maintain ownership of the community game around the state," the governing body said in a statement.

Australian rugby has long operated under a decentralised model in which rival states compete for talent, coaches and resources.

In recent years, the model has been blamed for the Wallabies' decline and the struggles of the country's five Super Rugby teams.

The twice World Cup-winning Wallabies have slipped to ninth in the world rankings and crashed out of the group stage at France, Australia's worst-ever performance in the tournament.

No Australian team has won a Super Rugby championship since the New South Wales Waratahs in 2014.

Following the World Cup debacle under departed coach Eddie Jones (63), RA is under pressure to revive the Wallabies' fortunes in time for the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 and the 2027 World Cup on home soil.