Judge Jeff Blackett will chair a five-strong panel to review the hiring and firing of John Steele as the RFU chief executive.
Vaughan insists governing body must find right balance with next man
Judge Jeff Blackett will chair a five-strong panel to review the hiring and firing of John Steele as Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive.
Steele was ousted from his position at an emergency meeting last Thursday night after the board decided his position had become untenable.
In the aftermath Blackett, the RFU's chief disciplinary officer, was asked to conduct a review into the whole issue. He has now confirmed the terms of reference, as well as the four other members of the panel.
RFU council members Geraint Ashton Jones and Malcolm Wharton will be part of the group along with two independents - Andy Reed, MP for Loughborough, and Vic Luck, formerly general manager of IBM UK.
The panel will look in to all aspects of Steele's nine-month reign, including his initial appointment to the post and also the disastrous recruitment process for the performance director position, something which was a major factor in his downfall.
Blackett has sought agreement from Steele's lawyers that members of the board may disclose the reason for their decision to the panel. The terms of Steele's departure are otherwise covered by a confidentiality clause.
Judge Blackett said: "It is vital for the reputation of the RFU that we move quickly and decisively on this and that we are able to carry out an open and transparent review of the events of the last few months.
"Only when we know what happened can we ensure that lessons are learnt for the future good governance of the RFU.
"We owe it to our members and all those who play and watch rugby to ensure that we are diligent and thorough and I would like to thank the panel in advance for their involvement in what will be an intensive and busy programme if we are to come back to the RFU Council in just over three weeks."
Denied reports
Meanwhile, RFU business operations director Paul Vaughan has confirmed he absented himself from the vote, one that was otherwise unanimous, during the emergency meeting over Steele's future.
However, he has denied reports that his contribution sealed the former chief executive's fate.
"John went down very well in terms of the face of the game. Inevitably the board made a decision that it wasn't going to last much longer so therefore concluded it was time to part ways," said Vaughan, who was addressing the Nolan Partners Sport Industry Breakfast Club.
"I can't say what I said in the meeting but what you read in the press wasn't quite true.
"I did abstain, I will admit to. It is difficult to vote on your own line manager's future so I left the room at that point.
"It was a rounded discussion. It wasn't just what I said, it was a combination of things."
Vaughan now believes the RFU must strike the right balance between hiring a rugby man and also someone with a business brain, so that the national team can grow on and off the field.
"Inevitably sport brings its challenges in terms of how you run it. We won the Six Nations this year and so we are doing something right," added Vaughan.
"We have some great talent coming through from the Under-18s and the Under-20s and we are seeing those players coming through to the senior team.
"When John arrived we reviewed the way the union was structured and put rugby back at the heart of the business.
"Your product is key. If you don't have the product right it is difficult to do the stuff around it.
"The 2015 World Cup will be a massive shop window for the game, the legacy opportunities are huge and essentially we need the right people in place to do the right jobs."
